Crossroads
by Avandra the Mary Sue Slayer
Summary: When two paths meet at the crossroads, what happens to the people who follow them? AUTHOR'S NOTE. Rated T just in case.
1. Prologue: Holy flowers

**Ok, so this is my first fic! Please be easy on me! I accept constructive criticism, but not flames!**

**Oh, just a few things before you can start with the story: I don't know how long it will be, it parcially depends on the development of the story, I have a plot in mind, but it's not developed just yet! It also depends on the reviews I get (wink wink), but keep this in mind: I WILL finish this story, I'll just end it if I see that you're not interested in it, but while I have one single review, I'll keep with it until I feel it's finished.**

**Anyway, read & review, and I hope you like it!**

**Oh, I almost forgot the disclaimer (sigh): I don't own the Teen Titans (don't you feel stupid having to do this?)**

**Crossroads**

**Prologue: Holy flowers**

The sky was filled with clouds. It would soon start raining.

"Plic"

"Plic"

"Plic"

Raven heard the raindrops fall on the roof, but she was safe, where they wouldn't reach her. She had left the tower previously to go to the abandoned church. Now why would she go to a place like that? She wasn't really much of a religious, and the place was completely ruined.

The answer was really simple: that place was special to her. It had been the same church she had brought Robin some time ago when her prophecy was about to be fulfilled. She had told him everything about her, and the truth was that they became pretty close in that period. Robin became like some kind of brother for her, so alike they were in some aspects. He would even ask her advice for his relationship with Starfire, before and after Tokyo, when they officially became a couple.

All these thoughts were running through the young empath's mind, so fast that she could hardly remember where they came from. This happened to her a lot; she had the strange habit of getting lost in her own thoughts, most of them about her own teammates, the people she had grown to call her "family", even if they weren't her natural family, she would always feel like they were, because they were the home she would return to everyday, after each battle…

She had got lost again. She sighed and walked to the centre of the church, where some flowers were blooming, which was weird since this was an abandoned church and no one took care of it anymore. Raven clutched in front of the flowers. She loved them, actually, she had always been into gardening, though she had never told anyone and anyone would have ever suspected it. The reason was that she really liked nature, and flowers, the same as magic, were a part of it, the most beautiful part of it, in her opinion. These flowers, however, were completely unknown to her. They had big white petals and spread a sweet fragrance which strangely invited Raven to lie down and sleep.

And that's exactly what she did. She knew there was no crime to fight that day, which was, in the first place, why she was there, so she could relax a bit. Sometimes the emotional charge in the tower could be so overwhelming she could hardly meditate. Rainy days were often that sometimes, such was the product of the rest of the titan's boredom. So she came there, and now she was going to rest. Or that was her intention…

A dream. A very real dream. Maybe a vision? She didn't know, she could barely think. A guy, he had dark hair and blue eyes, and he was smiling and then there was a strange but familiar looking symbol she couldn't identify on time. Then she heard the shots. Three shots. Three guesses on who they were aimed at. Yeah, it was the most important person in her life, though she would never admit it aloud. She woke up screaming his name.

"BEAST BOY!!"

**Don't you hate me now? The first chapter ends with a cliffhanger muahaha I'm evil! Don't worry, since this is just the prologue I will update the real first chapter sooner. I'm waiting for your reviews! I want to know what do you think of the story and my writing, oh and the plot is open to suggestions! I might include them in the story (or maybe not, it depends on how they fit my story, but I'll have all your suggestions in mind, promise!). **

**See you soon,**

**Avy.**


	2. Thinking of you

**Alright, the prologue was horribly short, that's why I'm publishing the first chapter before than I would have done in a different situation. I hope this makes up for it. Please read and review, and you'll make my day!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

Chapter 1: Thinking of you

Beast Boy's ears twitched. He swore he had heard someone screaming his name. He decided to shrug it off and focus on the game he was playing against Cyborg, since his best friend was beating him like he usually did. When the great defeat arrived, Beast Boy whined his "Dude! No fair!"s like he usually did. Then Cyborg's booming laugh was heard through all the tower like it usually was. Robin, who was watching them, chuckled, and Starfire went to offer Beast Boy her "pudding of the consolation", like both usually did (of course the changeling rejected the pudding very politely to not hurt the princess' feelings). Everything went as it usually did when it rained and there was no crime to fight, until Starfire spoke.

"Friends, have any of you seen Raven?" she asked, "I wished to ask her to perform the earthling ritual of the painting of the nails with me, but I could not find her anywhere."

"Have you tried in her room?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes, I went to knock in her door, but I received no answer" said Starfire in a worried tone.

"I think she said she wanted to go out" Robin stated.

But I do not understand, why did she not offer any of us to go with her?" the alien girl asked, confused.

"Well, you already know her", her boyfriend simply said, "She needs her space and some alone time sometimes".

Beast Boy was unusually quiet. He knew very well why she had had to go out. It all happened just after returning from Tokyo. Raven and him had had a big argument regarding her violent actions and lack of respect towards him, as well as his endlessly annoying behavior around her. Things had gotten pretty heated, and some things that are better not to say to a friend were said. The result had been Raven slapping Beast Boy in the face (leaving the mark of her hand on his sore cheek) and running to her room. Robin and Cyborg's "paternal chip" had got immediately activated and they'd tried to make the changeling apologize to her. The result had been a very angry Beast Boy. Why the hell did he have to apologize? He had always been a very nice guy to her; he had always tried to take her out of the shell she had built around herself. He would do anything for her. If they only knew… If they only knew how much he loved her… He had always had, but he didn't expect her to love him back (how could a goddess like her ever love a freak like him, anyway?), he just wanted her attention; he wanted to be his _friend_. However, it seemed that the girl didn't want to be friends with him; she clearly preferred to hate his guts. So why did he have to apologize? He was tired of being lashed out by her, tired of trying to get her to smile, tired of bearing her sarcastic comments, tired of dreaming (and daydreaming) of her…

So he didn't want to, he just didn't want to get burned again, because she was the fire and he was the moth, always attracted to her, even if it cost him his physical integrity. After these thoughts, he had decided right then that he wouldn't apologize anymore. Robin and Cyborg's protests, as well as Starfire's pleas, had gone to deaf ears. After the argument with his teammates he'd walked out of the common room hoping to get some sleep. Then he heard it. The only sound that could break his new resolution in a matter of seconds, as well as his heart, and if he hadn't become so suddenly worried he would have cursed his sensitive ears: he had heard Raven crying. He couldn't understand it, she never cried, at least not unless something terrible was happening (like when it was the end of the world)! Before knowing, he'd been knocking on her door, only to be told to go away. This hadn't stopped him, though, and he'd turned into a fly and slipped under the empath's door. He had found her lying on her bed, sobbing on the pillow. After turning back to his human form, he went to her side and hugged her tightly. He didn't mind her protests and threats, he just couldn't see her like that, and felt that it was his job to comfort her. She had soon stopped cursing his "green butt" and started to punch him in the chest weakly. He had not loosened his grip on her and she soon stopped, only to burst into tears on his shoulder. He'd hold her until she calmed down. She then did something he had never expected her to do (though she already did once, when he met Timid in her mind): she had asked, no, she had begged him for apologies, not only for their present argument, but for "all the shit" (were Raven's literal words, Beast Boy thought she really felt like cussing that day) she had put him through since they first met, she regretted every mean word she had said to him. Then it was his time to ask for apologies, he really hadn't meant to hurt her. They both had found forgiveness in each other, though, and they'd embraced a last time. He remembered feeling so good with her in his arms…

After pulling away, they had talked like anything had happened. They'd talked about very personal stuff; Beast Boy told her about Africa, his parents, how he got his powers… and the most painful memory he held: his parents' death. Raven also told him about her, about Azarath and how her life was like when she lived there. She also talked about her mother and the monks that raised her since her birth. Then she revealed him why she had been so irritable since Trigon's defeat. It turned out that since she wasn't under his father's influence anymore, she could feel emotions without blowing things up, so her emotions got stronger, but also her powers. It was very difficult for her to control both, and this affected her mood noticeably. She had had an especially hard time during her missions against the Brotherhood of Evil, missing her friends and her home like she did. Being an empath made it even harder, so she had become extremely sensitive at that time, getting to the extreme of not being able to meditate. She did it (or, at least, tried) more often, though, and now she was doing better; she was getting used to her stronger emotions and powers. However, she still needed to meditate in order to relax a bit, and sometimes she even needed to go out for a walk. That was the reason why she had left today, which made Beast Boy remember all this story. He didn't say anything because they had promised each other not to reveal their confessions, since they didn't want to worry their friends, and they decided that they would tell them when they were ready. The changeling couldn't help then but feel a bit proud of the trust that Raven had put in him. Since that day, they didn't argue so much and they became very close friends. She even let him call her Rae now, since one day she asked if she could call him Gar. He had told her that he'd only let her do that if he got to call her Rae, so they made a deal, under the condition that he wouldn't abuse her nickname too much, and that only him could call her that. She sometimes called him Beast Boy, but it wasn't very often, He was perfectly OK with this new situation, it made him feel very special…

Beast Boy was keeping with those thoughts when the door of the common room swished open, revealing Raven. The girl had a worried expression in her face, but she hid it behind a stoic mask as soon as she saw her friends.

"Hi" she said.

Starfire flew to her in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, friend Raven! I have been looking for you all the day! Do you wish to do the painting of the nails with me?" she asked with her big bright smile.

"Sorry Starfire, but I'm a bit tired" replied her best friend, "I'd rather go to rest in my room"

"But you will join us in the hanging out tonight, won't you? The news said that the weather is going to change! It will not rain anymore tonight so we can go out, since it is the End of the Week!"

"I guess…" was her only reply. It had taken Beast Boy's puppy face to convince her to hang out with them. She couldn't say no to him, not when he did THE FACE. He looked just too cute for her, though she'd never admit it aloud. She had silently cursed his cuteness and now she was cursing the change in the weather. She didn't really feel like going out, not at her current state…

Beast Boy eyed her worriedly. Her unexpressive face couldn't fool him; he could see in her eyes and smell on her scent that she was worried about something… and she didn't seem to be feeling very well, either. So when she got out of the common room, he followed her as silently as he could. She suddenly stopped.

"What do you want, Gar?" she asked.

"You seem worried, and you don't look too good" he said. "Has anything bad happened?" _Like another end of the world or so?_ He thought.

Silence.

"Rae?" he called, a bit more worried, wondering if it really was the end of the world again.

"It's nothing" she finally replied, trying to sound firm though her voice was shaking a little. "I just had a bad dream".

"Did you fall asleep under the rain?" he joked. "And how come you're not soaked?"

Raven turned to face him. She had a small smirk in her face, like she usually had when he did a joke and she was about to reply.

"I didn't fall asleep under the rain; I was indoors, which is why I didn't get soaked, well, that, and the fact that I created a shield when I flew back here", she answered.

Beast Boy advanced towards her.

"So is everything alright?" he asked her one last time, just to make sure she was telling the truth.

"Everything alright" she replied, this time with a small smile in her face.

It seemed OK to him, it was normal to be startled and look a bit restless after a nightmare, he knew this very well.

"OK, sleep tight Rae, I'll come to tell you when it's time to get ready for the night".

"Yeah… the night… Thanks a lot Gar" she grunted. They were going to go to a karaoke, under Beast Boy's insistence, something that didn't amuse her at all. She'd never tell, but the thought of singing in public scared her to death.

Beast Boy laughed and went back to the common room, with the other titans. He loved how his "secret weapon", like he sometimes called The Face, worked with Raven.

As the sorceress watched him leave, the smile on her face fell.

"Please, Azar" she prayed, "let it not be true!"

She then went inside her room to take a relaxing bath and change into her pajamas. She was too tired to meditate. She got into her bed to try to get some sleep. She tried to tell herself that everything had been just a dream, but her new issue with her stronger powers didn't let her believe that. She could now feel everything the people in her visions felt when she saw them, so now she had a perfect idea of how it felt to be pierced by three bullets. She told herself that the incredible pain (because it hurt a lot more than it seemed, the reason why she didn't look very good) she had felt, and still was feeling, had only been a consequence of her dream, the same as that time, when her powers had turned the whole tower into a living nightmare because of her fear after watching "Wicked Scary". She fell asleep still with those thoughts in her head, hoping to find some peace in her dreams.

She couldn't be more wrong...

**TO BE CONTINUED! MUAHAHAHA!!! So please, read and review, and tell me, do you think I posted the first chapter too early, or too late? What do you think of the story so far? What do you think Baest Boy told Raven to make her so upset? And do you believe Raven's theory that her powers made her feel the pain, or do you think it was a vision? Oh and don't worry, things are going to get interesting very soon... But you'll have to wait a bit! Oh and by the way, there's something I'd like to clarify: Beast Boy is NOT a freak (if you say otherwise, I'll kill you with fire muahaha!), but that's what he thinks of himself. Maybe a certain empath will prove him wrong? You'll see in future chapters! Bye for now!**

**See you soon,**

**Avy.**


	3. Reunion

**OK, so this chapter has turned out to be longer than expected. I actually thought of dividing it in two, but I didn't like the idea so I just left it like this.**

**First of all, I'd like to thank once more TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne for taking the time to check my Buffy fanfic even if he didn't watch the show. I also want to thank him for checking this chapter, too.**

**Thanks a lot, dude, this chapter is dedicated to you!**

**I also want to thank the rest of my reviewers (I feel very thankful today XD), you really make my day, and not only that, you give me a lot of ideas and inspiration for this story. Thanks a lot!**

**By the way, there's something about this story that I want to say, just to create some intrigue and confusion among the readers (aren't I mean?). In this story, though it wasn't originally meant to be this way, there are two main plots which are related and will develop together: Beast Boy's, regarding Raven's dream/vision (and more things you'll see later), and Raven's, regarding something mentioned in the prologue that I'm sure most of you haven't noticed (don't you hate me now?).**

**Anyway, I think it's time to stop talking, so I'll just say my disclaimer and leave you with my story. Please read and review, and if you have the time, go to my profile and vote on the poll (should I include Terra in this story?), I may surprise you!**

**Disclaimer (I bet you're all thinking "finally!"): I don't own the Teen Titans or the songs mentioned here!**

Chapter 2: Reunion

Raven was having a very, very, disturbing dream.

She was sure that it wasn't a vision; everything was too… surrealistic to be true. She was in her bed, and then she got up and walked out of her room. When the door swished open, she didn't see the hallway, she was in a garden. "Weird" she thought. She started walking through the garden, filled with bushes that got higher and higher until the garden wasn't a garden anymore. It was a _maze_. "Weirder" she thought, and started to walk through the maze, trying to find the way to… well, wherever she was going. She walked for some time, having to undo her steps due to finding a dead end. When she finally got to the centre of the maze, all she found was a door. "Oh, come on!" she whined. "Can this get any weirder?"

Indeed it could. She opened the door and walked past it only to find herself back into her room, but she wasn't alone there anymore. Someone was standing in the middle of her room. The intruder turned around to face the empath and revealed her identity.

She was no other than Terra.

To say Raven was pleased to see her former teammate in her room would be an absolute lie.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she spat. Obviously, it wasn't comfortable for the sorceress to see her rival (both in powers and love interests, as much as Raven hadn't admitted this last one when she was around) in her dreams.

"Easy, easy, girl. Rage will make your face crack" she said, putting her arms before her mock-defensively.

"Are you really… Terra?" Raven asked, a bit concerned that it all was a vision of the future.

"Of course not, you silly" she answered, rolling her eyes. "How would the real Terra get into your mind? From what you know, she doesn't even remember you! And if she did, tell me, do you honestly think that she would somehow manage to get into _your_ mind, of all people?"

"It makes sense" Raven thought. It wasn't like her dismiss towards the geomancer wasn't reciprocated.

"If you're not Terra, then who are you?" the girl asked. "Maybe a vision of future?"

The Terra doppelganger shook its head.

"I'm no vision, just an anthropomorphic representation of your dreams, the same as your emoticlones in Nevermore are anthropomorphic representations of your emotions. To put it bluntly, I'm an illusion".

"But why have you adopted Terra's appearance?" Raven asked.

"Don't ask me; it's your subconscious, not mine" the anthropomorphic version of Raven's dreams (or just the illusion, if you prefer) replied, smiling.

"Answer me a question. Do you know anything about the dreams (or visions, I'm not sure) I've had about Gar?" the dreaming girl asked, hoping to finally get an answer to her doubts and fears.

"Well, since I'm a part of you, I know everything that you know, nothing more and nothing less" the illusion answered, grinning eerily (she was starting to remind Raven of the Cheshire Cat). "All I know from those visions is… well, what you already know. Speaking of the devil…"

"Terra", as well as the whole room, started to melt just before Raven's eyes. The scenery surrounding her started to change until it acquired a more defined form. It seemed more… realistic. She saw the strange symbol on her first vision, but again, it vanished before she could identify it. She then saw the boy with black hair and blue eyes she had also seen before. He was looking down at her as if she was lying on the floor, and he was smiling and offering her a hand.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

Before the sorceress could reply, though, the scenery changed once more. It was a cloudy day; it seemed that it was going to rain. But Raven could hardly notice this; she was more concerned about the teenager standing by her. He was Beast Boy, and the reason she was so concerned was because there was someone aiming a gun at him… again. The person was about to pull the trigger…

"NOOOO!" she screamed.

She woke up in her bed, covered in sweat. She was breathing sharply. She not only felt Beast Boy's fear, but also hers, and it was almost unbearable. But what was worse was that she couldn't keep lying to herself anymore. It wasn't just any bad dream. It was a vision. And if she didn't do something, it was going to come true.

"What should I do?" she asked the ceiling, which remained mercilessly silent.

Telling him wasn't an option. She hated having to hide things from him, but she didn't want him to get worried. He would have to be on guard all the time, knowing he could get hurt in any moment, and she didn't want him to bear that burden. She would do it herself. But there still was a big problem: she couldn't protect him alone, as much as she tried. She needed help. If she only knew who was the would-be murderer…

The azarathean shivered. The thought of her green friend being murdered was unbearable. He was her best friend, no, he was much more than that. She had always kind of liked him, she even found him somewhat funny (she still remembered when she told him so the day they first met), though she would never admit it to him. After all, he was always trying to get her to laugh, and she secretly feared that he would stop if she finally did. And not only that, he had always been by her side; he had always been the only one who could cheer her up when she was feeling down. He always showed an unexpected maturity in those situations. She remembered when he comforted her after Malchior's incident. She had always lived her life in a shadow, but he filled her with light. He made her _happy_, something she had never expected to be.

She then realized something. What she felt for him-it wasn't a simple crush, it was love! So the purple-dressed emotion had been right all the time…

Raven made a decision. She wouldn't let him die, even if the price was her own life! But no matter how much she loved him, she knew she couldn't protect him alone. So she tried to decide what to do.

Would she tell her friends? Maybe they could protect him together… No, Beast Boy would surely notice that something was going on. It was painful for the young empath to make those decisions; even if she often kept things to herself, she would always tell her teammates if something serious was happening. It hurt her to betray their trust. If she could tell just one of them…

Then the answer came to her mind. She knew exactly who to ask for help.

Robin.

After all, he had been through situations like that more than once, when he was the Dark Night's protégé in Gotham City. Besides, he was the Teen Titans leader, and she knew she could trust him. Maybe he would know what to do.

"I will talk to him" she thought. She was a bit calmer now.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, time to wake up!" Beast Boy's cheery voice said from the other side of the door.

"Alright" she answered.

"Get ready, I'll meet you in the common room in half an hour!"

She got out of the bed and went into her bathroom. She needed a shower before getting ready for her night out.

She didn't notice the white petal lying on her bed…

_Half an hour later…_

All the Titans gathered together in the common room. They had agreed to wear their civilian clothes, something they usually did when they hanged out together. Even Cyborg put on a hoodie and a pair of jeans. Starfire was wearing high heels and a short pink dress (**A.N: Not **_**that **_**short, you pervs! XD)**. She had made up her face, and somehow she had convinced Raven to put _just a tiny bit_ of make up herself. That tiny bit consisted in some lip gloss and a very, very little amount of eye shadow. The "dark titan" was wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that didn't show but a bit of her cleavage, but it was enough for a certain green changeling to blush and force his eyes to look in other direction.

There was only one person missing. The Titans' leader hadn't arrived yet. It was very unusual for him to be late, and just when his friends started to get worried, he appeared, receiving groans from all his teammates, including Starfire.

"Sorry, guys, I just couldn't decide what to wear" he excused himself.

It was then when he noticed his friend's glares. The only reason why even _Starfire_ would glare at him, even if he hadn't figured it out yet, was his obsession with his job, which made him wear his mask even though they weren't at a mission. As the other titans knew his secret identity and understood he had to protect it, sometimes he would take it too far.

"Uh… why are you looking at me like that? Is it because I'm late?"

"Aw, come on man, why did you have to put _that _on?" Cyborg protested.

"Yeah" Beast Boy stated, "we don't want to see you wearing dead animals!"

The other three titans looked at him in confusion. He continued his speech, oblivious to them.

"So be a good leader and burn that disgusting leather jacket!" he finished, glaring at Robin's black leather jacket as if it had made a very offensive comment about his mom.

"What? If you're wearing a leather jacket, too!" the boy wonder protested.

"It's S-Y-N-T-H-E-T-I-C, dude! No dead animals on my body, no sir!" the changeling said with a "duh" expression on his face.

Raven couldn't help but smile a bit. It would never cease to amaze her how he would notice the most unexpected details. He caught her, though, and she abruptly looked away, blushing and leaving him a bit confused.

"Uh… what the rest of us _actually _meant, Rob" continued Cyborg, oblivious to his two friends' exchange, "is that you could take off that mask just for one night. If you want to protect your identity, you can… I dunno, wear sunglasses or something".

"OF COURSE! THE SUNGLASSES!" Robin screamed, startling everyone. "How didn't I think of that before? I guess I'm too used to the mask... Alright, I'll go take them! I'll see you in a minute!"

"_Robin, before we go, can I talk to you in private?" _Raven asked through their telepathic link.

"_Sure" _was the Boy Wonder's answer.

After a minute or so, he returned to the common room wearing his sunglasses. It was weird to wear them at night, but the boy wonder's friends decided to make no comments about it. They all went to the garage to get into the t-car, but the two birds paused.

"OK, what did you want to talk about?" Robin asked.

"Well… today, before coming back, I fell asleep..."

"Outside in the rain?" Robin asked, confused.

Raven rolled her eyes. Why did everybody think the same?

"No, Robin, I was indoors" she replied. "As I was saying, I fell asleep and had a vision. When I came back here and went to sleep, I saw it again. Garfield… he's going to get shot" She lowered her eyes at the last part. It hurt her a lot to say those words.

"Did you see who's going to do it?" his leader asked, with concern on his face.

"Unfortunately not. I have no idea of who's going to shoot him, or when it's going to happen" she said with sadness in her eyes.

The boy paused to think. They had to act carefully.

"You understand why I told you and not the others, or him, don't you?" his "sister" asked.

"Yes" he replied, "and I know what we're going to do. You must stay close to Beast Boy, and not leave his side, no matter what. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now I'm asking you to keep our telepathic connection open, so you can tell me if something happens. Remember, stay close to Beast Boy, and if you find out anything else, tell me so we can decide our move" Robin commanded.

Raven nodded again. "Thank you, Robin" she told him, "this means a lot to me".

"I know, Beast Boy's my friend too" he replied, smiling warmly.

The sorceress shook her head.

"It's not just that" she said. Before the dumbfounded Robin could ask her what she meant, she went out of the common room, to the garage.

"_Aren't you coming?" _asked her voice in his head.

He immediately followed his friend.

They didn't arrive too late at the karaoke bar, despite their delay. It was the _Music Palace_, the biggest karaoke bar in Jump City. They chose it because it had all kind of songs: from the old classics to the newest hits, going through all kind of styles: pop, rock, dance, ballads… they had everything, so it pleased all Titans' musical taste. They could rent a private room, so they could have, well, privacy, or stay in the enormous shared room. They decided to pick a private room under Raven's insistence. She said that she would be uncomfortable with so many people around, plus they wouldn't leave them alone and would bother them with questions and pleadings for autographs. This was only partially true; the real reason she had insisted so much was because she was worried about Beast Boy and thought he would be safer in a private room. Robin saw this and agreed to rent the room.

Once in their room, they settled their food and drinks (no alcohol, since they were under age), and took a seat. Then they proceeded to discuss who would go first. It was decided that Robin sang first, since he was the leader. Glaring at his two male friends who proposed the idea, he got to the small stage and picked his song. He sang "Heart Shaped Box", one of his favorite songs.

"Dude, if Kurt Cobain rose from his grave…" Beast Boy started to say when Robin finished his song. He was going to say something about the boy wonder being tortured to a horrible death by the singer, but his leader's glare cut him off.

Cyborg immediately went to defend his "buddy".

"Alright, I'm next!" he proclaimed, "I'll show you how it's done, bird boy!"

He picked his song, "Toxicity", and began to sing. He wasn't tone deaf at all, and his low but strong voice fitted the song perfectly. When he was done, he went back to his seat, smirking at the Boy Wonder, and high-fived his green friend.

"Friends, I wish to be the next!" said Starfire with excitement in her voice. She flew to the stage and sang her song, "Kiss The Girl", her favorite song from "The Little Mermaid", her favorite Disney movie. When she got back to his seat, Robin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered: "Was that an indirect, Star?" She blushed brightly at her boyfriend's comment, but nodded her head. He smiled and kissed her while Beast Boy and Cyborg made faces behind them. Raven rolled her eyes at her friend's childishness, but she had a small smile on her face.

"Okay, my turn now!" said Beast Boy jumping from his seat in excitement. He then went to the stage and picked his song…

The next few minutes were the most embarrassing in Raven's life. He had picked "Accidentally In Love" and he didn't took his eyes off her while he sang. She tried her best not to blush, failing completely. She wondered if he was doing it on purpose, just to annoy her.

She had thought those had been the most embarrassing minutes of her life. She couldn't be more wrong. When Beast Boy finished his song, he went to where she was sitting and offered her his hand. She raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could want.

"Your turn Rae, you're the only one who hasn't sung yet" he said.

"WHAT?" she asked, louder than she had wanted to. "Garfield, you know that I don't sing"

"Come on Rae don't make me do the face!"

"Ugh…"

It wasn't just him. All her teammates, even Robin, were staring at her with pleading eyes.

She sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll do it" she said. She then got up of her seat, glaring daggers at the grinning changeling.

"_I'm going to kill you for this"_ she growled in his mind.

"_Come on Rae, you know it's going to be fun"_ he replied cheerfully.

Raven got on the stage and searched for her song. When she found one that she liked, she took the microphone and started to sing…

_Wish I could trust that it was just this once_

_But I must do what I must_

_I can't adjust to this disgust_

_We're done, and I just_

_Wish I could stay…_

Everyone was deadly silent when she got off the stage and returned to her seat. The first to react, though, was Starfire.

"Friend Raven…" she said, her eyes full of tears from emotion. "That was… That was the most touching, beautiful and splendid performance that I have ever heard!"

"Yeah Raven, that was… impressive" Cyborg added.

One by one, all the titans proceeded to praise the empath's singing skills. Needless to say, she was blushing like mad.

The five friends stayed at the karaoke bar for a while. When they got ready to leave, Beast Boy made a decision regarding the new sing-star of the team. He had been watching her for a while, and she had been very weird that night. First, he had caught her smiling at him, and she had blushed and looked away. Then, he saw her smiling again when he and Cy were mocking "the two love birds", as they usually called Starfire and Robin. This time she didn't notice, though. He had decided to try something, and he sang a love song looking at her all the time, making her blush. He didn't get it, why was she acting so weird? Then his brain gave him an unexpected answer. "Maybe she likes me back… Then shouldn't I tell her about my feelings? But what if she doesn't? What should I do?"

He had spent the rest of the time at the karaoke thinking of that, until he finally made a decision. "I will tell her when we get out of here".

So when they got out of the karaoke, Beast Boy became frantic, but he tried his best to hide it so her beloved didn't sense it. He quickly went to her side.

"Uh… Rae… can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure" she replied. They watched the others walking away, singing and laughing and joking, totally oblivious to them. They would catch them later. Beast Boy stared into Raven's beautiful eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well… You see… There's something I wanted to tell you for some time now, though I didn't know how…"

"Yes?" she asked, calmly.

"Well, the truth is that I… I…"

"Hey, you! Are you Beast boy, from the Teen Titans?"

The person who asked this question was a young man, possibly in his twenties, with long red hair. Raven could sense a lot of wrath in him, and other negative emotions, too.

"_Careful, Gar, I don't like this guy. I'll call Robin telepathically. Don't provoke him" _Raven mentally warned Beast Boy.

"_Don't worry, I won't" _he replied.

"Yes, it's me" he said aloud.

"So you're the one who put my brother in jail last week, huh?" the guy asked in anger.

"Last week? I don't know… Who's your brother?"

"He's no other than the mighty, the powerful, CONTROL FREAK!" he solemnly said.

Beast Boy couldn't help it, he burst into laughing. Raven was still contacting their leader, so she couldn't stop him. She broke the contact right then, though, to see Control Freak's brother's face get red with rage.

"HAHAHAHAHAAA… THE MIGHTY… HAHAHA!!!" Beast Boy was drowning in tears of laughter.

"Do you think it's funny, green elf?" Control Freak's brother asked.

"Actually… I don't think it's funny…" Beast Boy said when he had managed to stop laughing.

"Gar…" Raven warned him.

"I think it's HILARIOUS!!"

Control Freak's brother had a crazy look in his face.

"Really?" he whispered. "Well, you won't think so when I FINISH YOU!" With that, he pulled out a gun from a pocket in his jacket, so fast that the two Titans could hardly see him doing so. Raven watched, in horror, how he aimed the gun at Beast Boy, and she did the first thing that came into her mind. Pushing him away from the other guy, she braced herself for the shots…

That never came. A black bull appeared of nowhere and pushed the villain's brother into a wall before he could pull the trigger. He fell to the ground, unconscious, but he wasn't the only one: Raven had lost her balance, tripped, and fell on the floor too. From there, she and Beast Boy saw the bull morphing. He was now a boy, more or less their age, with black hair and blue eyes. He offered Raven a hand, smiling.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

**TO BE CONTINUED! I bet that most of you thought that Beast Boy was going to get shot there; well you'll have to wait to see what will happen with Raven's vision! And what did you think about "Terra's" appearance in Raven's dream? Vote on my poll whether you want her in this story or not! I'll probably close the poll on Friday, so hurry up (XD)! I promise I will surprise you, whatever the result is! Oh and here's a little contest: I'll give a cookie to those of you who can tell me which song was Raven singing! Too cookies if you guess the singer! And, for the first one to guess both, I'll dedicate the next chapter to him/her!**

**OK, as I see anyone has answered yet, I'll give you a small clue. See above, at the line where Raven is worried about BB and thinks she had always "lived her life in a shadow". That's the beginnig of a song sung by the same artist, in the same disc! "I lived my life in shadow, never the sun on my face..." I'm not telling you the name of that song, though, but maybe this could help you.**

**That's all, folks! Bye for now,**

**Avy.**


	4. The guy in question

**Alright, dudes, let's start with the prizes from my contest… which has only one winner! Was it that difficult? If it was, I'm very sorry! Anyway, let's give the prizes…**

**La Vixen de Amor: you get two cookies; one for guessing the song, the reprise for "Under your Spell" though "Wish I could stay" could have done it, too; and you get another one for saying it's from Once More With Feeling, the Buffy musical (though it would have also done it if you said Amber Benson or Tara), congratulations! Damn, I'm too obsessed with BTVS! But don't worry, I'm obsessed with Teen Titans too (what an obsessive person I am). So, La Vixen de Amor, I dedicate this chapter to you. I hope you like it! And I hope the rest of you like it too! And don't forget to vote on my poll, I'll close it on Friday!**

**As always, read and review! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. I do own the mysterious guy, though. ;)**

Chapter 3: The guy in question

Raven was stunned.

He was the guy from her visions! So was it meant that he appeared and saved her? Was everything from her visions related, then? Was it everything over?

Everything seemed to make sense, but there was something wrong, something she couldn't place with the recent events, but she couldn't figure out what. She decided to shrug it off and accept the hand the boy was offering her, since being on the floor wasn't very comfortable. She stared at the boy in front of her. Had he just morphed from a black bull, or had that been a product of her imagination?

Beast Boy was unusually quiet. He couldn't believe his eyes! He took a step forward, and then ran to him.

"Jake? Jake, is that you? Dude, I can't believe it, it's been so long!"

"Hey, Gar!" the boy named Jake said. "Long time no see!"

At that very moment, the rest of the Titans arrived.

"Is that Control Freak's brother?" Robin asked. He had a batarang in his hand; he would always take some of his gadgets with him even if he wasn't on a mission, and hide them in his clothes, just in case. Starfire was floating in the air and had already two starbolts prepared. Cyborg's sonic cannon could be seen from under his hoodie.

"No, Control Freak's brother is there, lying on the floor. He's unconscious." Raven explained.

"But then, may I ask who is the other boy?" said Starfire, landing on the floor while her starbolts disappeared.

Beast boy smiled cheerfully.

"Guys, I this is my old friend, Jake! I haven't seen him for years" he proclaimed.

"Hi" Jake said, smiling at the Titans.

Then Beast Boy began to introduce his teammates.

"This is Raven" he said, pointing to the girl, who was the nearest Titan at that moment. Jake took her hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you" he said.

"Same here. Thanks for saving me" she simply said.

Then they moved on to Robin, they shook hands, and the Boy Wonder excused himself and went to handcuff the still unconscious Control Freak's brother **(A.N: Poor guy, we'll never know his name, he'll just stuck with "CF's bro" lol)**.

"Does he always wear sunglasses at night?" Jake asked, a bit confused.

"Just sometimes, it's a long story" Beast Boy replied.

Then he introduced Cyborg.

"This is my best friend, Cyborg!" the changeling happily said.

"Oh really?" Jake asked. He and Cyborg stared into each other's eyes, narrowing theirs so slightly that Beast Boy didn't notice.

"So this is Gar's new best friend…" Jake thought.

"So this is BB's old best friend…" Cyborg thought.

The object of their rising rivalry didn't notice anything and went to introduce Starfire, when he found her flying excitedly to Jake, her face mere inches from his, making him a bit nervous.

"A friend of Beast Boy! Glorious!" she exclaimed. Then she proceeded to ask him the same questions she had asked Terra when the team first met her.

"Uh… Jake Mathews, by bus, black, and Gar's friends are my friends too" he answered.

"Wonderful!" the alien girl exclaimed.

"So Jake" Beast Boy said, "What have you done in all these years?"

"Whoa, that's quiet a long story! Why don't you tell me what you've done instead? And, by the way, you've grown up quite a lot! But you're still shorter than me!" Jake said.

"Dude, of course I've grown taller! We were just brats the last time I saw you!" he protested. "And you're not that tall, Cy here is way taller than you"

Jake's eyes narrowed again, while Cyborg smirked at him.

If Raven wasn't so distracted by Jake's last words, she would have been amused at the rivalry the two Beast Boy's best friends were developing. But she was too distracted.

Beast Boy had grown taller.

He was taller than her, now. She had become the shortest Titan. But it didn't bother her, as she was too distracted thinking of how attractive the changeling looked now. It wasn't that she didn't like his physic appearance before, but then she would have defined him as "handsome" and "cute". Now that he was taller and had developed his muscles after some intensive training imposed by Robin, she defined him as "gorgeous" and "hot".

Raven's transcendental thoughts were interrupted by the object of them.

"Rae, do you agree?" he asked her.

She was redder than a tomato. Everyone was looking at her.

"Uhh… what?"

"I said if you agree that we all meet Jake tomorrow at the _Pizza Paradise_ to talk about our lives and stuff."

"Um… yeah… of course" she answered, not really listening to him. Then something clicked in her mind, and she remembered what had just happened. She had told Beast Boy not to provoke that guy, which he did. He could have gotten killed, she should be mad at him!

Nobody noticed the change in her mood, though. She didn't blow up anything anymore.

"So, see you tomorrow, then!" Jake said.

"Do you have a place for the night?" Beast Boy asked his friend.

"Yeah, I rented a crappy room at the cheapest hotel in the city, but hey, it's better than nothing" Jake answered.

"OK. See you tomorrow, Jake!"

"Yeah, see you!" Robin said.

"I bid you farewell, until we see again tomorrow" was Starfire's goodbye.

"See you" Raven told him, a bit calmer.

Cyborg took a step forward. It looked like he wasn't going to say goodbye, but he didn't want to upset his best friend.

"Bye" he finally said.

Jake waved his hand and walked along the street, getting farther and farther from the Titans. They were about to take the opposite direction to get back to the T-car, when Beast Boy stopped them.

"Uh… guys… shouldn't we do something with him?" he said, pointing to the still unconscious Control Freak's brother.

"Let's call the police" replied Robin.

After dealing with the police and handing them the man, they went into the T-car and headed back to the tower.

Once there, they all went to their respective rooms, except for two Titans.

"Don't ever do that again" Raven whispered, anger filling her voice.

"Don't do what?" Beast Boy asked, upset and worried at the same time. Upset because he had thought that could be a good moment to tell the girl in front of him about his feelings; worried because she looked _really _angry.

"Don't play dumb with me! I told you not to provoke him! Don't you ever listen to me?"

"Hey, I couldn't help it! Don't say it wasn't funny when he said that stuff about "The Mighty Control Freak!" he chuckled after saying that. It was too funny; mainly knowing how he had taken the villain down last week.

Raven glared at him.

"How can you just laugh like that?"

"I'm laughing because it's funny, and I don't understand how you can not think so" the green teen replied.

"It's not funny, because he could have killed you" she whispered. "Or you have forgotten the gun he was aiming at you?"

"I haven't forgotten. You pushed me off the way. If it hadn't been for Jake, he would have shot you…" he replied, now very serious. "But I don't want to think about that. I don't want to think what would have happened if Jake wasn't there. I have to make jokes because I can't stop thinking that I've failed to protect you, Rae" he whispered, his eyes full of pain and regret.

Raven looked up at him, all her anger vanished.

"You haven't failed… I did what I had to do… Look, today I wasn't feeling very well because I had just had a vision… about you" she confessed him. "You were being shot…"

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?" Beast Boy asked, wide-eyed.

"Because I didn't want to make you worry. I wanted to protect you by myself."

"Rae…"

"You don't have the slightest idea of how I felt then, how scared and worried I was… You don't have the slightest idea of how I would feel if I lost you…" she said in a whisper. Her eyes were shining as if she was going to cry. "So… just listen to me when I tell you not to provoke someone"

She then turned round and walked to her room, leaving Beast Boy alone with her surprising confession.

Raven entered her room. She really felt like crying. How could he be so stupid? Right then, though, she regretted what she had just said.

"Maybe I've been too harsh with him… He didn't mean to do that" she thought. "Alright, I'll apologize tomorrow"

With that, she went to sleep, but noticed something on her bed. It was a white petal. She figured that it had gotten attached to her cloak when she fell asleep in the church. She took it and its sweet fragrance got to her. She put it in her wardrobe, in the drawer where she kept her t-shirts **(A.N: What? I do that too!)**, changed into her pajamas, and went into her bed. She didn't have any visions that night, but she did have some nightmares that left her completely restless.

_The next morning…_

Raven woke up a bit earlier than usual, but not by much. She went into the common room and headed to the kitchen to make her breakfast, which didn't consist on much more than her herbal tea. Both Cyborg and Robin were already up and having breakfast. They seemed to be arguing.

"Don't be ridiculous" she heard Robin say, "We don't know anything about him yet!"

"That's why I think we shouldn't trust him" Cyborg replied.

"Just give the guy a chance" Robin asked his friend, "he's Beast Boy's best friend"

The half-robot glared at the Boy Wonder.

"He's NOT BB's best friend; I am!" he almost shouted. Then he put his already empty plate on the sink and got out of the room, fuming.

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?" she asked the other bird.

"I think Cyborg is jealous of Jake" he replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

Raven's eyebrow rose even more.

"It's because he was Beast Boy's best friend, but I don't know what the big deal is. I mean, of course we must be cautious; we can't let something like Terra's "incident" happen again, even if he's just a civilian, but I don't think we must distrust him from the start without giving him a chance, let alone if we don't have any reasons to do so" Robin explained.

Raven thought that she knew where the problem was. Robin was very intelligent and had very good deduction skills, but he wasn't very good when it came to understanding other people's emotions. She, being an empath, was much better at that. It was true she wasn't good at dealing with her own emotions, but she usually did very well with others'. Plus she had her own suspicions of what could make Cyborg so mistrustful about Jake, as she had had those feelings before and knew very well how it was. Her empathic powers had a limit and, while theoretically she couldn't identify other people's emotions, but just feel them; she could match them with emotions she had felt, but not always. She finished her frugal breakfast and went out of the common room.

The young sorceress concentrated and felt Cyborg's presence at the garage. He usually went there when he needed to calm down, he had always loved mechanics. She found him there, indeed, fixing something on his "baby". The girl could tell he was in a really bad mood.

"Hey"

"Hey Raven. Do you want something?" asked Cyborg, trying to hide the disappointment on his voice and failing.

"Actually, I wanted to talk about your argument with Robin"

His expression darkened.

"Look, if you're going to tell me off like a five-year-old, you can already…"

"I understand how you feel" she interrupted him.

"Huh?"

"I said that I understand how you…"

"I heard you the first time, I was just surprised! So you don't trust him, either?" Cyborg asked his "little sis", his human eye shining with hope.

"It's not that. I still don't know him, but for the time, I'm thankful to him for saving my life. That's all." Raven replied in her usual monotone. Her "older brother"s face fell. "What I'm saying is that I understand how it feels… to be left behind" she finished, this time with more emotion in her voice.

"You see, I felt the same once… when Terra joined us" she continued. "She had all your attention and I felt like nobody cared about me anymore. Especially Gar…" she said with a small hint of sadness on her face.

"Are you crazy? If he was n… I mean he cared about you a lot, he always did!" Cyborg exclaimed in disbelief. "Phew, I almost spilled…" he thought. He had almost said that Beast Boy was _nuts_ about Raven, but "the grass stain" had made him promise that he'd never, ever, tell the empath.

"Yeah, but then he was always around Terra, like a lovesick puppy, and he didn't even bother looking at me… and even if he cared about me at that time, it wasn't in the way I wanted him to… and I still do" she confessed.

The half-robot couldn't believe his ears. Did she just say what he thought she said?

"Wait… do you like the green bean?" he asked.

Raven blushed, but nodded. She had to open her heart to him if she wanted him to open his.

"I can't believe it… does anyone else know it?"

"Just Starfire" she replied. After all, the alien was her best friend… and she had threatened her to take her to the mall ALL DAY by force. And it wasn't easy to escape the tamaranean, with her super strength and all.

"And why didn't you tell him?" the older teen asked, a big grin spreading on his face.

"Quite simple. He doesn't like me back" she answered, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"You don't know that… I think you should tell him. Who knows, maybe you get a surprise" Cyborg suggested her, winking his human eye.

"I don't think this is the best moment… you see, yesterday we had an argument because of what happened with Control Freak's brother, and now I think I've been too harsh on him. So before telling him anything (in the improbable case that I do) I must apologize to him…"

Raven suddenly fell silent. They weren't supposed to be talking about her all the time!

"I've told you everything about me... Now it's your turn"

Cyborg sighed deeply.

"Well, it's pretty simple, really. Being half-machine is not an easy job. People point at you when you're walking through the street, and they fear you… They make me feel like a monster. But then BB appeared, and he didn't really care about my appearance, he even thought I was _cool_! Cool, you heard me? Maybe it was because he doesn't look like ordinary people either… But he was the first person that made me feel like I was… normal"

"I know what you mean" Raven said, "he's always very kind with everyone, without caring about how they look. He is one of those very few people who can see more than meets the eye"

"Yeah, he is. And now this Jake dude appears, and he says he was BB's best friend when they were kids. Do you know how it makes me feel? I can't help but think that he doesn't need me anymore, and that he's going to replace me with him… I mean… he looked so happy when he saw him again…"

The sorceress put a comforting arm on the tall teen's forearm.

"He's not going to replace you. He just needs a little time with his friend, after all, they haven't seen each other for years" she said soothingly. "And if he dares to do it" she continued, with a small evil smile on her face, "I'll make him regret"

"Thanks Raven, you've really helped me. I feel better now" he thankfully told her.

"You're welcome" the girl replied. She turned to leave, but when she was at the doorway, she stopped and told him:

"By the way, if you tell Gar anything of this, the one regretting will be you"

"My lips are sealed" he replied, chuckling.

Raven got out of the garage and went to the common room. She had already done her meditation. She entered the room, only to step on Beast Boy. He had gotten up way earlier than usual. Both of them blushed; they obviously hadn't forgotten about last night.

She spoke first.

"Good morning, Gar"

"Uh… morning Rae" he nervously said.

"Listen… about last night…" she began.

"Actually I was looking for you because I wanted to talk about that" he interrupted her.

She nodded. Then they went to the roof, one of their favorite places at the tower, and also a place where they could have some privacy.

"Look…" Beast Boy started, "I know what I did was very irresponsible, and that I should've listened to you. What I wanted to say is… I'm so…"

"I'm sorry" Raven interrupted him, "I've been too harsh on you. I know it wasn't your intention to laugh at that guy, so I shouldn't have snapped at you for that"

"Then, I guess we're cool now, aren't we?" he asked.

"Yes, Gar, we're cool" she answered, smiling softly.

The two Titans sat there, staring at the whole city, which could be seen from the tower roof. Both were thinking the same: "Maybe this is my chance to tell him/her my feelings…"

Both made a decision at the same time.

"Rae?"

"Gar?"

But it wasn't the right time.

The alarm went off at that moment. Cursing their luck, the two went with the others to see what had happened. No words were needed; the look on Robin's face said everything…

"Slade…" they said at the same time.

**I bet some of you are like "SLADE???" while most of you are at my house with torches, wanting to kill me for ruining Beast boy and Raven's confession just like that. Sorry, maybe the next time! And as for Jake… you'll know more from him on the next chapter, they still have to meet him at the **_**Pizza Paradise**_** (if Slade lets them). Oh and if you're RobxStar fans, there will be quite a lot in the next chapter (or the few next chapters). Please don't forget to review!**

**See you next time,**

**Avy.**


	5. Fights, meetings and kidnappings

**Whoaaaa this is my very first fighting scene I'm so nervous!!! I hope it turns out OK, tell me otherwise but… please be nice, or else you'll face my fury!! (Just kidding) Anyway, let's start with chapter 4!!!**

**By the way, if you are curious about the Titans' ages, in all the fanfics I do, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire (and Terra, in case she appears) will be all the same age, Robin will be one year older than them, and Cyborg will be one year older than Robin. In this fic, they are:**

**Robin: 18**

**Starfire: 17**

**Cyborg: 19**

**Beast Boy: 17**

**Raven: 17**

**And, by the way, Jake is 17 too!**

**Oh, just another thing! I've closed my poll about Terra yesterday, with an incredible draw between "Yes, and she should make amends with everyone" and "Only if you're going to KILL HER". Thanks for the ones who voted! Now I've made another poll that I will keep open until the end of this story, probably. Please vote, it will help me a lot. The poll basically says: "What do you like best about this story so far?"**

**Alright, now you have this information, I'll just say my disclaimer and let you read in peace XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or the World. As the Spanish Government president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said, "It belongs with the wind…" XD read and review, pleeeeeeaaaaaassssssseeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!**

Chapter 4: Fights, meetings and kidnappings

The Teen Titans quickly arrived to the street where Slade was, and they were welcomed by the same shape-shifting creature they had encountered when Beast Boy had found the amnesic Terra. They hadn't been able to defeat it that time, and they hadn't seen it again after that. It was causing as much destruction as it could.

"Greetings, Titans. I think you have already met my new pet"

Slade got out from the shadow of an alley and walked to the team. All of them were ready for the imminent fight.

"What are you planning, Slade?" Robin demanded.

"Oh, it's nothing, Robin, I just came to say hello" the villain replied.

"Really? Well you can already say goodbye!" Beast Boy snarled at him.

"Glad to see you again too, green one" he answered with amusement in

his eye. "Tell me, did you get to talk to Terra again?"

"Shut up!" the changeling growled.

"What's wrong, Beast Boy? Did I hurt your feelings?"

"Enough Slade" Robin shouted "This ends now!"

"Indeed" the villain formerly called Deathstroke replied evilly, "It ends… for you"

Suddenly, the shape-shifting creature targeted the Titans and charged at them, making them spread to dodge the attack.

"I have some things to do. But don't worry… I'll leave you with my "pet" so you can have some fun" Slade said, while he started retreating.

"You're not going anywhere!" Robin yelled. "Titans, GO!"

Before the Titans could even approach Slade, though, the shape-shifting creature got on their way. They attacked it with everything they had; approaching the monster as much as they could and attacking it directly, but it didn't work. The creature could absorb the substance of anything near it and morph into that substance to avoid the attacks. While they were busy fighting, Slade took his chance to flee.

"NO!" Robin screamed. But it was too late; the villain was gone. He took three of his explosive discs and threw them to Slade's "pet" in frustration and fury. They collided, causing a minor explosion, which was enough, though, to take the thing down. It fell loudly to the floor, and the Titans' leader went to examine it with Cyborg.

"It seems to be badly damaged. What do you think?" asked the Boy Wonder.

"At a first glance, I don't think it'll get up again" the half-robot replied.

"So we won? SWEET!" Beast Boy cheered. Behind his happiness, he was still upset about Slade's words, but tried to hide it. He couldn't fool a certain empath, though…

"Yeah, but Slade is gone…" Robin replied; his voice sounded defeated.

Starfire flew to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I am very certain that we will catch him the next time and proceed to the kicking of his butt" the alien princess said, reassuringly.

Robin smiled weakly at her.

"Thanks, Star" he said. "Come on, we should get going if we want to arrive to the _Pizza Palace _with Jake on time"

"Oooohhhhh of course!!" Cyborg said sarcastically, rolling his eyes in a fashion that reminded of Raven. "How could we forget about our Jake?"

Robin glared at him.

Beast Boy, once again, was totally oblivious to his friend's comment, but only because he was thinking about what Slade had told him. It had made him so mad…

"Are you alright?"

He turned to see Raven. She seemed concerned, and he remembered she could sense his emotions. It made him a little nervous.

"Um… yeah! Everything's fine!" he said.

"_Are you sure?"_ she telepathically insisted.

"_Yeah, I'm just a bit upset about what Slade told me, nothing more" _he replied.

"_Oh… I see…" _Was the girl's reply. She knew where his thoughts were leading him, and it was somewhere she had hoped he'd never be again.

Terra…

Raven really hoped he would be better after talking to Jake…

_At the _Pizza Palace_…_

"Really? A team of superheroes? The Teen Titans, you said?" Jake said, wide-eyed.

The superheroes in question nodded. They were at a corner of the _Pizza Palace_, and they had already ordered their pizza. The place had been inaugurated just one or two weeks ago, and the Titans thought that, while they would never forget the old place where they had pizza, this one could be a great replacement. They had been there several times, and they found out that there was more variety of pizzas, including one which made piece by piece from different pizzas. They usually chose this one and ordered which kind of pizza each piece should be, so there were no arguments regarding the food. But some things never change, and Beast Boy and Cyborg still managed to have their old "tofu vs. meat" argument. Today they ordered a bigger pizza so Jake could eat too. He ordered for a veggie pizza, as he was a vegetarian like Beast Boy. This had made Cyborg frown, but he decided to make no comments. Now they were waiting for their pizza to arrive while they started to tell the green changeling's old friend about them.

"Whoa! That's cool!" he added. "How long have you've been a team now?"

"Since I met them all when I was fourteen" Beast Boy replied.

"Cool! But tell me, what did you do before? My parents and I never saw you again since you disappeared from the village when we were seven" Jake asked curiously.

Beast Boy's face fell slightly, but he quickly recovered. Only one person noticed. Raven knew very well how he had left the African village where he used to live when he was a child. Those punks, the slave traders… They had captured him because his skin color had caught their attention, and then they had taken him back to America and made him work for them as a thief, until he had managed to escape, one year later, to be found by Steve and Rita Dayton, friends of his parents, and he had become a member of the Doom Patrol. It wasn't easy for him to talk about that, though.

"Well, you know me, I kinda got lost, and then the Doom Patrol found me, you know, they were friends with our parents"

"Yeah, they used to talk about them. I heard you had joined them"

"I did, but things didn't end well and I came here, and well, you know the rest: I met my friends and we formed the Teen Titans" Beast Boy concluded. "But what about you? What did you do after I left?"

"Well, my parents and I were very worried about you, and started to search you everywhere, with the villagers' help. But we never found you. Some years later, my parents decided to get out of Africa and we started traveling around the world… I've seen lots of different countries, and I've been to all continents… I've even been once to the Antarctica" explained Jake.

"Whoa, that must've been cool… when it wasn't freezing" joked Beast Boy.

Jake chuckled.

"I see your jokes haven't changed one bit. Maybe I should tell you some actually good jokes"

"Hey, my jokes are good! Right, guys?"

Silence.

"Aww come on!" the green teen protested.

Starfire was the next to speak.

"Please, friend Jake, I am slightly confused about something, and I was hoping that you could clarify it to me. Why do you have the same powers as friend Beast Boy?"

"Yeah, he never told us how he got his powers" Robin stated.

Jake looked at his childhood friend, as if asking for permission. He still remembered how touchy he was about that subject, well, and about his parent's death, so if he didn't want him to tell, he wouldn't. However, his friend nodded his head, so he proceeded with the explanation.

"Well, everything started when we were in Africa. Our parents were scientists, and very good friends, too. We all stayed there at an African village at Upper Lamumba, but one day, when we were playing outside, we were attacked by a green monkey and got infected with a very rare disease; Sakutia. Our parents worked together and, in the end, they were able to find a cure for the disease. But that cure made us different, it gave us powers… Sadly, Gar's parents died shortly after that, and we stayed at the village with him until he disappeared…"

Jake looked up at Beast Boy. Their pizza had been served while they were talking, but the green changeling hadn't given it a single bite.

"You know, we really missed you… especially me, it wasn't the same without you… then we heard you had joined the Doom Patrol… We thought of contacting you, but my parents were always to busy and we were traveling all day… But hey, here we are now!" said the black-haired boy.

Beast Boy smiled at his old friend.

"Yeah… here we are"

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash. They all went outside and saw, to the Titans horror, that the shape-shifting creature wasn't as defeated as they had thought. It was crashing some cars and, well, destroying everything it could destroy.

Jake looked at the creature, his eyes wide with fear.

"Oh, no…" he whispered.

Somewhere, at a nearby alley, two figures were watching the scene attentively…

"Look, isn't that the model we sold to that Wilson man?" one of the figures asked.

"Yeah, I think so" the other figured answered. It looks that it works pretty well. Our customer should be pleased"

"Indeed… Wait! Look over there!" the first voice said. "Do you see the same as me?"

"Yes… it's the number one… with five more people… I think one of them is the number two" the second voice replied.

"Number two is not important for our plan, the boss told us to capture number one… Hey look! I think one of the others is a Tamaranean!"

"I see… it could be interesting to have her, we could learn a lot about those aliens"

"I don't care about the Tamaraneans but for one thing: the transformation. It is believed that, at some part of their lives, the Tamaraneans morph in order to reach maturity and acquire their definitive form… Think of how interesting could be that for our organization!" the first figure said, with excitement.

"Do we send the captor, then?" the second figure asked.

"I say that we do that" the first figure replied.

Robin pulled Jake off his thoughts.

"Jake, things could get dangerous now! Please go back inside and wait for us"

The tanned changeling nodded and went back inside the pizza.

The Boy Wonder looked defiantly at the shape-shifting creature.

"Titans, GO!" he cried.

The five teens got into action once more, only to find their attacks were completely useless, because the creature not only could become the substance it absorb, which gave it great versatility and a strong defense; it regenerated so fast that the Titans could hardly damage it.

"Raven, scan it and search for a weak point!" Robin commanded.

The empath did a psychic scan of its enemy and found… nothing. It seemed like the creature…

"It's not alive… it's a robot!" Raven exclaimed.

"We must find its internal system! Beast Boy, you come with me! The other stay back and be prepared to set fire" Robin yelled.

Beast Boy morphed into a tiger and ran to the robot with Robin, who had pulled out his bow staff. He jumped and began hitting the robot with his staff, and while it was busy defending itself from him, Beast Boy jumped to it and slashed it with his claws, revealing its insides.

"NOW!" Robin shouted.

He and Beast Boy quickly got out of the way, and the others took this chance to fire the robot. Cyborg shot his sonic cannon, Starfire threw her starbolts, and Raven shot a blast of dark energy. The shot destroyed the shape-shifting robot completely, this time to never get up again.

The Titans walked to the robot's remains.

"Look at this" Cyborg said, taking a part of the robot from the floor, "I'm sure this is not Slade's symbol"

On the piece of metal there was a symbol, but not the famous "S". They seemed to be someone's initials: "KL".

"KL?" Robin asked, rubbing his chin. "Who is this "KL", in case it's a who at all?"

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"I think it could be the robot's denomination, but again, why hasn't Slade put his symbol on this robot, if it was his?" Robin answered, narrowing his eyes.

"Does it matter? Slade's nuts, who knows why he does what he does!" Beast Boy replied. "What I mean is… we defeated the bad guy, I think we should be celebrating, we can take care of Slade later and loosen up a bit for now!"

Robin looked at him for a while. Then he sighed.

"Maybe you're right" he said, "it's useless to think about it, if we want to find out, we'll have to find Slade first"

Right then, some kind of robot appeared behind Starfire, without anyone noticing, and knocked her cold with a punch that could have killed a horse.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted "Titans, GO!"

The Titans tried to help the princess, but the robot raised a defensive barrier around them, so the heroes couldn't reach them. After that, the robot took flight. Raven took off too, followed by Beast Boy, who had morphed into a pterodactyl. When they reached the robot, though, they were repelled by the barrier and fell down. Luckily, they recovered on time and landed safely. But they had lost Starfire…

"STARFIRE!" Robin yelled at the skies…

**Whoaaa someone has kidnapped Starfire! Will the Titans ever find her? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Read and review, please! Tell me if the fighting scene was bad!**

**See you,**

**Avy.**


	6. The bird who fell in love with a star

**OK, so here's the next chapter. I hope you like it, and don't forget to vote on my new poll; you'll make me happy!**

**Read, review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. I do own Jake and the bad guys who kidnapped Starfire (that you'll meet soon)**

Chapter 5: The bird who fell in love with a star

Robin fell to his knees, looking at the spot where the robot and Starfire had disappeared. Someone had just kidnapped the girl he loved just under his nose, and he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't even know who had done it!

None of the other three Titans could say a word. They also felt bad for not being able to do anything, and there was no way to comfort their leader, so they gave both him and themselves time to recover from the shock.

Robin stood up slowly, without facing his friends.

"We have to find her…" he whispered. "No… we WILL find her, no matter what!" he said, raising his voice.

"But, how?" Beast Boy asked, with his ears dropped from frustration and sadness. "We don't even know what that robot thing was, or who sent it"

"I know" a voice said.

The four Titans turned to see Jake. He had gotten out of the pizzeria and he had seen Starfire's kidnapping.

"What do you mean you know?" asked his friend, confused.

"I know the people who made those robots… and the one you have just defeated" the boy said, pointing to the piece of metal that Cyborg still had on his hand.

The eldest Titan burst into fury.

"YOU BASTARD! I KNEW IT! I KNEW WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUSTED YOU!!!!" he screamed. He seemed ready to punch the teenager with all his strength, but Robin stopped him.

"Cyborg, please! Let him explained himself" he said while he stood between the two teens.

"But Robin…"

"Thank you Robin" Jake said.

"Don't thank me" the Boy Wonder growled, looking at the changeling. "I'm doing this for Starfire, not for you"

Raven took one step forward. She was the one who seemed calmer, but as usual, it was only a mask. She was really worried about her best friend.

"Look, Jake" she said, "while I think that we should all calm down, I'd like to warn you: Starfire is almost a sister to me, so you better have a good explanation of what has just happened"

Jake sighed.

"I have no idea of why they kidnapped Starfire, but I can tell you who they are"

He then walked to Cyborg, who immediately tensed, and took the piece of metal from him. He showed it to the Titans and pointed at its initials: KL.

"KL for Keller Laboratories. They do experiments or something like that, I don't know much more. I do know that they came to my house, when my parents and I were still living in Africa, and they said I was special and that they wanted to take me with them. My parents didn't let them and they went away, but they knew that things wouldn't end there, and that's why we left Africa. They kept following us, so we never spent much time at the same place, that's why we traveled so much. We always managed to escape them, until they almost caught us when we were in Mexico. My parents thought that I would be safe with you, Gar, since they never went after you, so they told me to find you. They didn't come with me because they thought that they would find me more easily that way. That's the true reason I came here, to ask you for help…"

Beast Boy stayed silent for a while. Then he spoke.

"So those guys are after you? Do you know if they have a hide-out here?"

"They have laboratories under cover in almost all the biggest cities in the States, and I'm sure this is no exception, another reason why I'm sure I'd be safe here. You've been here for years, and I'm sure they've been to, and they never touched you, maybe because you're a hero, but the thing is that they never went after you"

"But what about Starfire, then? She's a hero, too!" Robin exclaimed.

Jake's expression darkened.

"I have no idea. I don't know why they are after me or why they have kidnapped her"

"What I don't understand is" Raven intervened, "if they've been at business and have had a lab here for years, why didn't they go after Star before, if they were so interested in her?"

"As I told you, I don't know" Jake replied sadly "Maybe you should ask them yourselves"

"Wait, you're not going to help?" Beast Boy asked, wide-eyed.

"I've told you everything I know, I can't help you in any other way, and I don't want anything to do with them. I'm sorry about Starfire, but I'm not going anywhere near those guys" his childhood friend answered.

"But it was your fault! How can you shrug it off just like that??" the green changeling exclaimed.

"Leave him be, BB, he wouldn't be any help, anyway" he said Cyborg, still giving death glares at the tanned changeling.

"But he's got powers; he could use them to…"

"Enough, Beast Boy. As Cyborg just said, it's his decision to help us or not" Robin said, putting a hand on his green friend's shoulder. "But you're right in one thing: he would be useful to us. And, by the way, Jake" he said, now looking at the black-haired boy, "you told Starfire that you were his friend. If you truly were, you would help her, mostly now that she needs you. You're not one of us; I can't make you help us if you don't want to. But you're still responsible for what happened to her; you knew of Keller Labs and you said nothing until they took her. So if you ever change your mind" he said, now pointing to the T-tower which could be seen from where they were, being so close to the bay as they were, "you know where to find us"

With that, the four Titans went into the T-car to go back home and start research, feeling defeated and disappointed. Jake stood there, watching them leave. Then he turned round and started walking back to the hotel where he was staying.

He got into his room and fell on his bed. Then he took the remote and switched on the TV, to see if there was something interesting to watch. It was incredible that a crappy hotel like that had TVs in the rooms. He began zapping through the channels: a rather boring reality show, some uninteresting news, a crappy romantic comedy **(A.N: Don't you hate them? I can't stand them!)**, some ads about a new medicine… Wait, what?

He had now his full attention on the ads. The woman that appeared at the ad, announcing the medicine… He had seen that woman before; she was one of the two who went to take him in Africa! Only that she was much younger then, she couldn't be much older than he was now… But she looked almost the same. The changeling wondered what to do…

_At the Titans tower…_

All the four Titans were working hard on locating the laboratories. They were in the observation room, looking at the screens, which showed some images of Jump City. There was more than one laboratory, since the Jump City University was very famous because of the different scientific degrees that could be studied there. All of those laboratories seemed pretty normal; there was nothing suspicious in them. They would have to do a deeper research and investigate the labs one by one, possibly from the inside, which could be very risky, since no one outside the labs was allowed there.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Robin switched the image on one of the screens with a remote, and it now showed the entrance door.

Jake was waiting outside.

He thought they wouldn't welcome him. Why would they?

Suddenly, the door opened, and the Teen Titans appeared behind it.

"Jake" Robin said, "Have you changed your mind?"

"I didn't want to get involved in this" he said, "but I've found out something that could help you find Starfire"

The four teens hesitated, one of them glaring at him, and the other two looking at their leader, waiting for his decision.

"Come in" he finally said.

The Titans led Jake to the common room. Cyborg didn't take his eyes off him, he didn't trust him; he never did.

Once in the common room, the four teenagers sat on the couch, waiting for the boy's explanation.

"Look, I was watching the TV in my room when I saw this ad about a new medicine for colds" he began, "when I saw the woman in the ad. She was one of the two that had come to the village for me!"

"Are you sure?" Robin asked.

"Completely; she has barely changed" Jake answered. "As I told you, Keller Laboratories work under cover, that means that they usually use other names. Well, the advert said that they were called Omega Labs. Does it sound familiar to you?"

"Omega Laboratories? Weren't they those medical labs which investigated diseases?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, they're very famous for hiring the most brilliant students in Jump University" Cyborg answered.

Robin excused himself and got out for a moment. He came back with his laptop, and he immediately started to search for more information.

"The building is located on the northern section of the city" He said. "They offer daily tours at the lower floors, so it's sure that they'll keep her at the higher floors. If we could sneak in with the holo-rings and pretend to be on a tour, maybe we could find a way to access at the higher levels…"

He knew this was going to be dangerous, and that they could find literally anything in those laboratories. But he wasn't about to leave his love when she was in danger. He remembered when they fought Brushogan's creatures and she fell momentarily unconscious; he had never been so scared in his life, not until now. So he wasn't going to lose more time; he was going to save her, no matter how dangerous the situation could be, because she was the only person who could truly make him feel loved and safe; safe from his past, his fears, his obsessions…

…and he wasn't going to lose her.

"Cyborg" he commanded, "bring us the holo-rings"

"Holo-rings?" Jake asked.

"Some special rings that change our appearance when we wear them" Beast Boy answered

"Cyborg, could you make one for me?" the black-haired boy asked.

"Why would I do such a thing?" the half-robot asked as well, glaring at the shorter teen.

"Because… I want to help you… you were right, what I did was wrong, I shouldn't have hidden that from you…" he answered, his eyes never leaving the floor.

"So you've taken into consideration what we told you, didn't you?" Robin asked him coolly.

"Yes… I'm responsible for what happened to Starfire… and I'd like to make up for it" he replied, now looking at the heroes in front of him. "I don't know if I can be of any help… but I'll try"

Robin stared at him for what felt like an eternity, before speaking again.

"Cyborg" he said, "make other holo-ring for him"

"Are you sure?" the tall teen asked.

"Yes. We're going to visit Keller Labs today" was the Boy Wonder's answer. "Do you think you'll have them ready on time?"

"I think so" the eldest Titan reluctantly answered.

After that, they all went to change into civilian clothes. Robin offered Jake some of his clothes, just in case, since Cyborg's were too big for him and Beast Boy's were a bit too small, being his leader some inches taller than him.

Raven was in her room, changing into her civilian clothes. They would pretend to be university students, so they wouldn't have to wear anything too fancy, which the girl had always hated. She brushed her hair, which she had grown a bit longer and it now brushed her shoulders, and she got out of the room, not noticing a beautiful white flower growing out of nowhere in a vase, as if it had been her who put it there…

When they were all ready, Cyborg gave them the rings, and they put them on. Cyborg looked like he would have looked if he still was fully human, Robin's hair lightened from black to brown, and his eyes also turned brown, as well as his skin, which looked now more tanned. Raven's hair turned jet black while her eyes turned dark blue, Beast Boy looked the same he would have if he had never got his powers; blond and tanned, but his eyes were still the same green, Jake was surprised by his change. He got quite a big surprise with his too, though; he had now red hair and gray eyes, and his skin was noticeably paler.

"Remember, be discrete. We don't want to make too much noise until we rescue Starfire" Robin commanded. "Titans, GO!"

They all ran to the garage to get into the T-car, which camouflaged into a normal car thanks to one of Cy's most recent improvements.

"Uh… Robin?" Jake asked. He was sitting between Beast Boy and Raven ("the guy couldn't have found a better place to sit" thought Raven sarcastically).

"I was wondering… since you said "Titans, GO!" and not "Titans and Jake, GO!" I was wondering if…"

"I said it just to shorten up" the Titans' leader interrupted. "It doesn't make you one of us"

"Oh… yeah… right…"

Raven raised an eyebrow. Was he feeling hurt? _He_, of all people? He couldn't possibly be thinking of joining their team after getting them in such trouble and putting Starfire in danger, could he?

They soon arrived at the street where the Omega Laboratories (or Keller Laboratories, if you prefer) were located. They parked at a corner, not too near but not too far from the building, so they could escape without being noticed or escape quickly if they had to. The five of them closed the distance between them and the bulding.

"Raven, is there any way that our telepathic link could reach all of us, so I can give orders without voicing them?" Robin asked.

The girl nodded, opened the link, and spread it so it now also reached Beast Boy, Cyborg and Jake's minds. Some time before she wouldn't have been able to accomplish something like that, but her stronger powers held lots of new possibilities.

"_Dude, this feels weird, it's not like when Rae speaks to my mind!"_ Beast Boy thought.

"_Yes, a telepathic link is something a bit different from a simple telepathic conversation like what you and me have had until now" _Raven replied, _"this is… deeper"_

Beast Boy couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of Robin and the trust Raven had put in him to make that link some time ago. He knew their relationship was the one between a brother and his little sister, but he secretly wished that it had been him and not his leader the one infected by Slade's hallucinogen toxin.

He was distracted by the Boy Wonder's thoughts in his head.

"_Let's go" _he said… well… thought. _"And remember; be cautious"_

**THE END (Just kidding, just the end of this chapter)**

**This chapter was meant to be longer and include Starfire's rescue, but since tomorrow I won't have much time to write, I'll just post this chapter as soon as possible and start with the next. I still have to think how they'll sneak in there THE FIVE OF THEM. Don't worry, I do have ideas, but I'll still welcome your suggestions. As always, don't forget to review, and please, I know I'm very annoying but please if you have time go into my profile and vote on my new poll, you will help me a lot!**

**By the way, I'm planning on doing some of the chapters (but NOT all of them) songfics. But don't worry, I won't focus too much on the song and leave the story on second place, if you don't believe me read my Buffy fanfic! (advertising myself again...) I leave you here a list with some of the candidates, but since I want YOUR opinion,I'd like you to tell me which song you prefer, or if you have any other suggestions, feel free to tell me too, I promise I'll listen to all the songs you suggest me and have them on mind. Here's my list:**

**Crossroads by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (this HAS to be in my story, only the tittle is perfect!)**

**It doesn't matter by Alison Krauss & Union Station**

**Goodbye to you by Michelle Branch**

**Keep me in your heart for a while by Warren Zevon**

**Forgotten by Linkin Park**

**Leave out all the rest by Linkin Park (you can tell I love LP!)**

**Before the dawn by Evanescence**

**I think that's all...**

_**So long, and thanks for the fish!**_** (don't you love that song? And the movie? I'm going to buy the books, when I have money, that is, in about a million years... by the way this song is NOT going to be included in this story... sorry people... it just doesn't fit!) **

**Avy.**


	7. Save me

**Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay, I hope you're all fine, and that this looong chapter makes up for the waiting! I've received some suggestions for songs that I really like, but you can keep telling me if you want to! =) **

**Before I forget, I have some cookies to give! The Cookies Awards Ceremony starts now! **

**First cookie goes to Dude Your Awesome8, for reading and reviewing all my chapters so quickly. Thanks a lot! **

**I also have a cookie for FlamingSky and another for Autumnchronicles; you're both great! Thank you so much for all your compliments, you make me very happy! **

**I also want to give a cookie to DarkRapture, who gave me very good ideas for this chapter. Thank you! **

**Other cookie for TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne, for checking my chapters, because since this is the Cookie Awards Ceremony, of course he deserves one for taking time to help me, it's only fair! Thanks again, you've won a cajeta cookie, as I promised! **

**And the last cookie goes to my boyfriend; llew ifanc. He deserves it for taking the time to read my story, though you've made me very nervous and embarrassed, so you'll only have half a cookie! The other half is for me! (Eats half of the cookie). **

**Well (munch munch big gulp), now that I've finished the Cookie Awards Ceremony, let's start with chapter 6 (7 if you count the prologue as a chapter).**

**By the way, I've just enabled the anonymous reviews so my poor boyfriend could review this story, but though he has signed up, I'll keep it enabled, so you anonymous readers I want to know what you think! And if you send me spam you'll face my fury! I'll answer to the anonymous reviews on this section, so let's start with the first =) from llew ifanc before creating an account here.**

**Adivina XD: Do you prefer the review in English or Spanish XD? ****Mejor vayamos a lo seguro… Me alegro de que te guste, sigue comentando, ¿eh? Jaja sí, eso se llama cliffhanger y vas a ver muchos aquí, ¡es que me encantan! ¡Es tan divertido dejar a la gente con la intriga! Suerte con el Google translators! =)**

**Outra ves: Mejor sigo con el castellano, ¿no? XD Pobre traductor, ¿qué ha hecho para merecer esto? XD Mira en la parte de arriba a la derecha, puedes cambiar la fuente y el tamaño, y también puedes centrar el texto, pero creo que no se puede cambiar el formato, lo siento… eso tendría que hacerlo yo, si quieres a partir de ahora puedo escribir la historia en justificado, tú dirás =)**

**Disclaimer… **

**Starfire suddenly appears and says "But, friends, I do not understand, since this is fanFICTION, how are we supposed to claim anything?" **

**Raven appears beside her and says "We can't, but they like to annoy people with that"**

**Beast Boy appears with a confused expression on his face "Hey Star" he says "Aren't you supposed to be kidnapped by now?"**

**Starfire gulps and mutters a "my apologies friends, I shall go back to the dark cell where I am being held captive so you can rescue me properly" then flies away…**

…**Like I was saying before this weird interruption caused by the pills that kill the voices inside my head that tell me to kill you all, I don't own the Teen Titans, but I own Jake, the Keller Labs and everything inside them (cool, isn't it? I have a lab of my own!) **

**Read and review please! Enjoy!**

Chapter 6: Save me

"Welcome to Omega Laboratories! My name is Bill Williams and I'm going to be your guide through our facility and its secrets"

"_Sure" _Raven thought.

The guide proceeded to take the visitors through the building. There were five university students among the visitors.

"Hmm, that brunette is very hot" he thought, looking at the only female student, "I hope she gets a job here"

The man showed the visitors the lower level first, which consisted of the reception, and then moved to the first levels, showing the laboratories, where the scientists tested medicines. Of course they couldn't access the labs; they just looked through the glass windows. When they reached the highest level they could access, the guide decided to make a pause and let them wander through the level to go to the shops there and buy souvenirs; this was obviously meant to prevent suspicions and get some money from tourists. Beast Boy even thought that seemed Disneyland and not "the bad guy's hideout", and Cyborg laughed mentally at his comment…uh…thought.

"_This is our chance"_ Robin said through the telepathic link. _"We have to find a way to get to the higher levels without being noticed"_

"_How about we steal some lab coats?" _Beast Boy said, well, thought, oh, you understand me!

"_How are we supposed to steal FIVE lab coats without anyone noticing, grass stain?"_ Cyborg asked.

"_Maybe there's a drawer around here"_ Jake suggested.

"_There are no drawers dude! Only shops and shops and MORE shops!" _Cyborg replied angrily.

"_Dude! Could you please lower the volume? You're giving me a headache!"_

Raven sighed and decided to take part in what could possibly turn into an endless argument.

"_Maybe Gar's idea isn't that bad. We could steal just one robe so one of us put it on and pretends to be a scientist while the rest of us pretend to be hired students"_

"_Good idea, Raven"_ Robin intervened, _"Let's see… there's a bathroom over there and there are some scientists on their coats there, having coffee; they're probably at a break. One of us could wait for one of them to enter the bathroom…"_

"_I will do that!" _Beast Boy volunteered.

"_OK. Go to the bathroom and wait there. We'll tell you when one of the scientists goes there" _the Boy Wonder commanded.

"_Roger" _the changeling said (well, thought… oh, you already understood me!) and went to the bathroom.

"_OK, when Beast Boy gets out with the coat, it'll be our chance to find Starfire" _the Titans' leader said _"Raven, can you scan the place with your powers so we can find her earlier?"_

"_Yes, but I'll have to cut our telepathic link while I do the scanning" _the girl answered.

"_No problem Rae, I'll just wait here, see you later!" _Beast Boy's voice echoed in his friends' heads.

"_See you Gar. By the way, one of the doctors is heading to the bathroom now" _was Raven's answer.

The young empath cut the telepathic link right then and went to scan the room, but stayed still.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

"It'll be suspicious if I just start to rub my temples and chant my mantra in the middle of this place…"

"I have an idea" Jake intervened, "I could cover you against the wall so no one notices what you're doing. It'll just seem like we're kissing"

"What?" Cyborg said, louder than intended. He really didn't like this guy; and he definitely didn't want him ANYWHERE near his "little sis", even if they were just pretending.

"It seems alright to me" Raven calmly replied.

"WHAT?" Cyborg yelled, this time earning a few looks from other visitors. He blushed a bit and muttered an apology to his glaring leader; they didn't want anyone else's attention.

Jake pinned Raven to a wall and covered her. It really seemed they were kissing, even if they weren't. She put two fingers on her temples and began the scanning. She located Starfire's presence long before she expected. Yeah, her stronger powers DID held lots of possibilities…

_With BB…_

Beast Boy was in the bathroom, waiting for someone to come. He had made sure there was no one there, and now he was waiting for his friends' warning while he listened to their plans.

"_Raven, can you scan the place with your powers so we can find her earlier?" _Robin's voice said. It felt so weird to hear his fearless leader's voice in his head…

"_Yes, but I'll have to cut our telepathic link while I do the scanning" _Raven's voice answered.

"_No problem Rae, I'll just wait here, see you later!" _Beast boy telepathically told her, showing that he could manage to steal a simple lab coat with no help; after all, he used to be a thief. A very good thief, actually. It wasn't something he was proud of, but in this situation, it could prove to be really helpful.

"_See you Gar. By the way, one of the scientists is heading to the bathroom now" _the girl's voice replied.

After that, the link was cut and Beast Boy's mind was silent again, except for his own thoughts. He hid behind one of the toilets and left the door just a bit open to see the scientist coming in. When he closed the door of the bathroom, the changeling opened the door of the toilet and pounced on the man as a gorilla, knocking him cold on the ground, without hurting him too much, though. He then turned back into a human and took the man's coat off him. He then exited the bathroom with his prize on his hands while making sure nobody noticed. He then went to where his friends were, but what he saw made him freeze.

He saw Jake with Raven. They were at a corner, and he was pinning her against a wall.

They were kissing.

He couldn't believe his eyes, this couldn't be happening! How come Raven was kissing his old best friend? It had to be some kind of optical illusion caused by playing too many videogames or watching too much TV. Maybe Raven had been right that time when she said that "TV eats your brains"…

When Beast Boy saw them pulling away, he realized that it was no optical illusion; everything had happened in real life, and that thought tore him apart. Raven… she didn't even know Jake, why would she kiss him, in the first place? And as for Jake… Beast Boy's feelings for his old friend were already confusing enough; after all, he had lied to him! He was so shocked when he told them that he couldn't even stop Cyborg when he burst in anger and started shouting at him. He was so shocked that he couldn't even say anything. And when the other changeling said he wouldn't help Starfire, he felt hurt and betrayed. That was when he finally spoke, just to express his disbelief towards his friend's attitude. Then he suddenly appeared and said he knew where his alien friend was, and that he wanted to help them rescue her. And again, he was too shocked to say anything, so he didn't; he wasn't even sure of what he wanted to tell him, though; did he want to thank him for his help? Or would he stay mad at him for lying? The now blond changeling was a mess, he didn't know anything but for one thing.

Jake had kissed Raven.

He had stolen him the girl he had always loved.

And now, he was sure that he was mad at him.

Jake didn't know about his feelings for the pale girl, Beast Boy knew that, but right then he didn't care. He felt a horrible pressure at the pit of his stomach; what he had just witnessed made him feel like throwing up. He was sure of one thing: he had to get away of there; he could no longer stand being in the same place as his friend and his beloved.

So he went to where the others were and handled the lab coat to Robin, not after discretely taking a card from one of the pockets. He had paid attention to what the guide said, and he knew that that gadget could be useful…

"Raven says Starfire is in the highest level, so get ready to go up some stairs" Robin said.

"Can't we use the elevator?" Beast Boy innocently asked.

"Not without an especial card that only the higher level workers have" Cyborg answered. He still looked a bit bewildered from Raven and Jake's performance. "Didn't that coat's owner have one?"

"He didn't" the changeling lied.

"Well, let's not lose more time" Robin said. "We have to get moving"

He then put on the coat, after making sure no one was watching them, and went to the stairs, followed by Jake and two more Titans.

No one noticed there was a Titan missing.

Beast Boy used the card to open the elevator and went inside to go up to the last level. He knew what he was doing was stupid, but he couldn't stand being there with the others. He would find Starfire by himself.

The elevator reached the last floor quickly. Beast Boy was sure that it would take a while to the others to reach him. He wondered if they had noticed his absence. "Those two didn't, that's for sure" he bitterly thought, "they are too busy locking lips to even remember me".

Rage was running through the changeling's body. He was getting madder each second that passed; he had to find a way to deal with all his anger. He heard voices coming from a room, and he went inside as a mouse, so whoever was there didn't see him. What he found there shocked him.

He had found Starfire.

_With the others…_

The Titans, along with Jake, were going up the stairs as fast as they could, but it was really tiring. After all, the building was very tall.

"Are we… there… yet?" Cyborg asked, panting.

"Not… yet…" Robin answered. Despite his good physical form, he was getting tired.

"Are we… now… there?" Cyborg asked again.

Raven sighed, both in tiredness and exasperation.

"No, Cyborg…" she replied, somehow managing to give her tired voice a sarcastic tone, "…we're not there… yet… we're very very far… from being there… so please… stop asking… if we're there… yet… or I'll… send you to another… dimension… full of stairs…"

"…"

"Look" Jake said "What's that… thing… shining… over there?"

Robin's face lightened up.

"We… we did it" he exclaimed, "we've reached… the top!"

The three males, getting strength out of nowhere, started running up the stairs. Raven followed them walking, wondering why Beast Boy was so late. She hadn't felt anything from him for a while now, but she had figured that he got tired and was behind them. She stopped at the top of the stairs to wait for him, and scanned the stairs to see if he was still too far.

It was then when she noticed that Beast Boy wasn't at the stairs.

"Oh, no…" she whispered.

_Back with our favorite changeling…_

From the form of a mouse, Beast Boy could see what was happening in that room without being noticed. Starfire was in some kind of glass jail. It had to be made of a special material so she couldn't use her powers, or she would have already escaped without problem. Beast Boy thought that maybe he could break it from the outside. He liked the idea; for some reason, he really felt like breaking something and he couldn't help but thinking it would be better to break that jail, rather than breaking a certain black-haired someone's face…

There were two more people in the room, apart from him and the unconscious princess. Both of them wore lab coats. One of them was a tall woman with short hair, and the other was a man as muscular as Cyborg.

"There are so many things we don't know about them…" the man said, "I wonder if the boss will let us investigate after he's done with her…"

"Why do you care so much? We only need her to study the Tamaranean's transformation" the woman replied. She had a high-pitched voice that sounded really annoying to Beast Boy's sensitive ears, but it had something else that made him shiver… it had… malice.

"At some point of their lives, Tamaraneans suffer a series of changes that even affect their genetic structure. This example has already gone through her transformation, which makes her even more valuable. The boss has said that it would be very interesting to keep her here while subject number one is in this city" the woman continued.

"I don't understand why, I thought we would simply study her genetic structure to see if we could use it to create more mutations" the man replied.

"Not really. There aren't many possibilities of success, that's why we didn't take her before" the woman told him, "the boss has a much better idea"

"Why didn't he tell anyone?" the man protested.

"Come on, Beta, don't get jealous" the woman said, her annoying voice full of evilness. "He will tell you all in today's meeting, he just told me before because I am his right hand"

"Could you tell me, then?" the man called Beta asked.

She sighed.

"Alright, since you're insisting so much" she began, "the boss is planning to capture subject number one and make them copulate to create a new species, even better than the parents. They would have a wider range of morphing abilities; maybe they could even morph into other people, plus the mother's Tamaranean strength, not to mention the starbolts or eye beams"

"But Alpha... do you think they will willingly agree to copulate?"

"If they don't, we can always use artificial insemination" the woman called Alpha replied with an evil smile on her face.

"Let's go" she then said, "the meeting is about to start"

The two scientists with the weird names got out of the room **(A.N. I know, not original names, but they have some logic -made up by me- which has nothing to do with the story, though)** without noticing the tiny mouse hidden in a corner. When they were far enough to not hear any sound coming from the room, Beast Boy morphed back into a human and went to Starfire's jail. He was horrified by what he had just heard. The woman with the annoying voice didn't have enough with calling his friend _example_, but she had said that they were going to make her copulate with someone –or something- called subject number one.

He had to get her out of that place.

He went to the glass jail where the alien princess was lying, oblivious to the world around her. He was still thinking about what the woman had just said. Subject number one… he had just arrived to the city…

Then it clicked.

They were talking about Jake.

It had to be him, he was the one they had been after for so many years, and he had shape-shifting abilities, like that Alpha woman had pointed.

Right then, only thinking of his childhood friend made him mad. He felt the strange urge to crash something…

The blonde quickly morphed into a gorilla again and started pounding on the jail, this time with all of his strength. It broke very easily, waking up the sleeping girl inside. He morphed back into a human and she looked up at him, recognizing him for the color of his eyes.

"Friend Beast Boy?" she groggily asked.

_Again with the others…_

Robin was fuming.

"Missing?" he asked in disbelief. "How is Beast Boy missing?"

"I already told you, Robin, I don't know" Raven sharply replied. "I thought he was downstairs, trying to catch us, and that that was the reason why I couldn't sense him, but when I scanned the stairs to see where he was, I found that he wasn't there!"

"Then where is he?" the Titans' leader demanded.

"I would tell you if you let me concentrate" the empath replied through gritted teeth.

She didn't get to do the research, though. The four worried teens were interrupted by a loud sound, as if someone was hitting something solid. Then they heard a crashing sound, as if that something had broken.

"Let's investigate that. Maybe it will give us a hint of where Beast Boy or Starfire are" the Boy Wonder said in a low voice. "Follow me quietly"

The other three obeyed, and they got into a big room. What they found there shocked them as much as it had shocked a certain blonde who had stepped there before.

Beast Boy was there, in front of a broken jail, with small pieces of glass surrounding him on the floor. Inside the jail, lying half awake, was…

"STARFIRE" Robin yelled. He immediately went to where his girlfriend was. He kneeled beside her to check she was OK. She looked a bit dizzy, but otherwise she was unharmed.

"Hi" he said in a soft voice he only used with her, "I know I'm a bit late, but… I'm here. I hope… you can forgive me for my delay"

Starfire smiled brightly, not her usual cheerful smile, but a smile full of love that she only showed to him.

"It doesn't matter" she answered, "I am glad… that you have come for me"

The alien then hugged her boyfriend, almost crashing his bones. He couldn't care less, though, for the only thing that mattered at the time was her, and the fact that she was safe. He leaned in and kissed her.

When they pulled apart, though, he stood up, still holding her in his arms, and faced the teen who had freed her.

"Why didn't you come with us, Beast Boy?" he asked, his voice now stern. "This could have been very dangerous, you shouldn't have come alone!"

"Why does it matter? I've found Star, didn't I?" the changeling defiantly told his leader. He was still angry, and seeing Raven and Jake didn't make it any easier.

In fact, things only got worse when Raven, after hugging her "sister" affectionately like Cyborg was doing now, went to him with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you OK, Gar? You seem… strange. Are you mad for something?" she ventured.

She should know. Being an empath, she should know why he was so mad. Hadn't she ever notice his feelings for her? He figured she had, but she said nothing to not hurt his feelings, or ruin their friendship, or something. He understood that she probably didn't feel the same, but did she have to make out with his own _friend_? Didn't she know what she meant for him, what both of them did? Didn't she realize how she had hurt him?

He couldn't speak; words didn't find the way to leave his mouth. He gave her a death glare, but couldn't do more because someone interrupted them.

"Hmm… I knew something was going on… but I never imagine I would find _this_" a voice said.

All the Titans stood on their fighting stances. Starfire was still too dizzy to fly, but assumed a fighting stance on the ground, with two starbolts ready in her hands.

"Subject number one, subject number two and their friends, all together to rescue the Tamaranean. This is interesting!"

The figure stepped into the room. He was a man in his mid fifties, with gray hair and black eyes. He was also wearing a lab coat.

"Why do you want Starfire?" Robin snapped.

"There were two more, they said they wanted to make her copulate with Jake" Beast Boy answered.

Robin's eyes widened behind his mask, but he regained his temper somehow.

"Well, that's not going to happen, because Starfire is our friend and she's coming with us!"

The man burst into laughing.

"HA HA HA, that's funny" he said, "Do you honestly think you can escape? Did you think we didn't notice you coming here for her? Did you think I wouldn't recognize one of my creations?" he said, pointing to Jake.

"What are you talking about?" the teen asked, confused.

"Well, I think it's very clear" the man answered. Then he did a movement with one of his hands and the Titans and Jakes' holo-rings flew from their hands to his, turning them back into their original appearance. Everybody gasped. How was that possible?

"Both of you are experiments, but only one succeeded" the man continued, now looking at the changelings "I think it's very clear who it was" he said, looking at the now again black-haired changeling.

"My plans for the Tamaranean were simple" he said, "as the failure said…"

"What did you call me?" Beast Boy growled.

"Easy, failure, we'll get to that matter later. As I was saying, the Tamaranean and you would copulate and create a new species, who would have both of your abilities; the perfect warrior. And not only that: since your spawn would be personally raised by me, they would be completely faithful and obedient to me"

"Who the hell are you?" Cyborg shouted.

"My name is Arthur Keller, and I'm the founder of Keller laboratories. But since that is what you would call my 'alter ego', I will ask you to just call me… Omega"

"Really? Well tell me something Omega" Beast Boy angrily demanded, "Why did you call me failure?" And what's with the 'experiments' thing?"

"You will know of the experiments with time, and as for the 'failure thing', as you have sharply pointed" he said, the sarcasm in his voice evident. Beast Boy was starting to get really mad. "I think it only takes a look to notice the difference between you two. He could do for the perfect spy, or even hired assassin, only with him I could have the Government wrapped around my finger" Omega said, pointing to Jake. "But you… well; I think the color says enough by itself. You are good for nothing, number two" he evilly said.

"STOP CALLING ME NUMBER TWO! I'VE GOT A NAME!" Beast Boy screamed.

"Failures are not referred by their names, just by what they are" he mercilessly answered. "Now, give me number one and I'll let you out of here unharmed"

"Never!" Robin exclaimed. "We won't leave him with you so you can use him for your evil plans! We are going to stop you! Titans, GO!"

"Fools" Omega replied. "Did you think number one is the only successful experiment that I've made? He is with no doubt the first with shape-shifting abilities, but he's certainly not the first with powers; I am. And I'm not alone."

Four figures appeared at the room. Two of them were the people Beast Boy had seen before. Alpha had brown hair and dark green eyes, Beta had red hair, almost blond, and pale blue eyes, and there were two more people: a woman who looked like Beta, but with black hair and dark blue eyes, and a man with long white hair and gray eyes. They all were in their early thirties to late thirties.

"Finish them" Omega commanded.

The Titans threw themselves into the battle. Robin found himself fighting Beta, whose eyes started to glow red.

"You know" he said, "Omega calls us The Elementals, because we have the powers of the four elements" His fists burst with fire. "GUESS WHO I AM!"

Cyborg went to fight the white-haired guy, who, unlike him, had the ability to fly.

"My name is Gamma" he said. "You can't stop me"

He then created a gust of wind that threw the half-robot flying. Jake took this chance to morph into a falcon and tried to reach Gamma. He simply used his technique again, with the same effect.

Raven and Starfire were fighting the black-haired woman. Starfire wasn't in perfect condition yet so Raven stayed with her. They started to throw the woman starbolts and blasts of dark energy, but she defended herself by sending a water beam which neutralized the girls' attack.

"I am Delta" she said in a quiet voice. "Surrender now and you'll suffer no harm"

"Never!" Raven exclaimed before flying to her. It was a great mistake, since the woman took this chance to hit the sorceress with other water beam that sent her flying.

"Raven" Starfire shouted. She then saw the woman called Delta creating other water beam, aiming it to her…

It wasn't being easy for Beast Boy, either. He was fighting Alpha, who proved to be the strongest of the four. She could control the earth, which was even more irritating for the changeling, since she reminded him of Terra, especially of the time when she became evil and tried to kill them all. He then heard Starfire's cry. What had happened to Raven? Even being mad at her like he was, he couldn't help but worrying for her…

"Hello! Anybody there, _failure_?" Alpha said with her loud voice, while she threw some boulders to the changeling. The place where they were fighting was becoming unstable because she had been ripping great pieces of the floor. It seemed she couldn't only control earth, but also all kind of rocks, including mixtures like concrete or cement.

"Don't call me that!" he shouted before becoming a tiger and dashing on her, only to be crashed by a boulder. He fell to the ground, regaining his human form.

"As I thought" she annoyingly said, "you're an utter failure, _failure_" she made sure of remarking the last "failure", smiling mockingly.

"I am not…" Beast Boy said, weakly.

All this anger… he couldn't bear it any longer…

"What did you say?" Alpha asked, frowning slightly.

He was losing control…

"I AM NOT A FAILURE!!!"

It finally happened. All the rage he had been holding burst into him, making him roar as he started changing. His limbs became bigger and grew huge, sharp claws, his body was covered in thick fur, and his head changed its form into the one of a monster, with white teeth that looked deadly.

For the third time in his life, he had become the Beast.

The two first times he had been trying to protect Raven. The first time, from Adonis, and the second time, from both Slade and Trigon. This time, she had been a factor, but the person who made him snap was right in front of him, her eyes wide with fear.

Omega had been watching the entire fight, and he was rather amused. However, when he noticed Beast Boy's change, he was completely amazed.

The Beast ran to Alpha, who put her boulders in front of her to shield herself from the dreadful creature that was coming for her...

Then she heard shots. She looked into the room entrance and saw the regular guards, who had been brought there with no doubt by a telepathic call by Omega. They were shooting tranquilizers. For some reason, Omega wanted that thing alive.

The rest of the Titans, as well as Jake, were taking a hard beating. Robin saw the guards and their weapons. Then he looked at the Beast… and the Beast looked back. There was determination in those fierce eyes; the determination of saving them.

"We have to get out of here" the Boy Wonder shouted. "Titans, move!"

They immediately obeyed, except for a certain empath who stayed there, looking at the Beast fighting the soldiers. Robin took her by her arm and dragged her out of there. They hurriedly made their way to the exit of the building, and they got into the T-car and drove away as fast as possible. It was a luck that Robin had put on his sunglasses before Omega took off their holo-rings; if he hadn't wore them, his secret identity would have been endangered. But no one was thinking of that.

They were thinking of the friend they had left behind.

Raven was the first to break the silence.

"Why?"

"What are you talking about" Robin asked, though he already knew what she meant.

"Why did we leave him there?" she burst. "We should have stayed there with him!"

"That's not what he wanted. He stayed to give us a chance to escape" the boy replied.

The rest of the way back to the tower was silent. They had decided that Jake should stay with them so they could protect him, since Keller Labs were probably still looking for him. They went into the med bay to heal their wounds. Robin had several burns and bruises from his fight with Beta, who, apart from controlling fire, was very strong. Cyborg's metallic armor was damaged from Gamma's attacks, and Jake had got his arm hurt. Raven and Starfire were soaking wet, and the empath had some minor cuts due to falling so hard on the ground, while her best friend looked a bit better thanks to her innate resistance, but she was also bruised and didn't feel very well for having to fight in her weakened state.

Cyborg used everything he had in the medical room, while Raven used her healing powers. She was now healing Robin's burns, and she soon realized that her healing powers had also gotten stronger.

After some time, all of them were done, and they felt a bit better, but only physically.

In that very moment, the intruders' alarm went off. They went to the observation room and saw, in shock, that the Beast had somehow made it to the tower. The Titans immediately went to where the creature was, Raven ahead, and they found that he was wounded. He had several shots of tranquilizers, and he could barely move. With a last grunt, the Beast fell to the ground.

**And the Beast makes its appearance! What will happen next? What did Omega mean when he called Beast Boy and Jake "experiments"? You'll have to wait even more, because the next chapter will tell you what happened WHILE the Titans were rescuing Starfire… From Slade's point of view! Oh mighty dolphins, help me… (Yeah, I'm still obsessed with getting **_**The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy**_**, but I've no money for books, mainly because the Mother's Day ruined me completely…)**

**Anyway, read and review, tell me what you think, if I have improved with fighting scenes (I don't think so, but still), and you can still make your suggestions for songs, and please vote on my poll, you would help me a lot! Oh and by the way, if you find the next chapters too cheesy for you (though I'll try not to make them cheesy) don't blame me; blame my boyfriend, he makes me this way! (But I still love him =D)**

**Peace,**

**Avy.**


	8. Meanwhile

**Hey people, how are you all? I hope you like this new chapter; it has a special surprise that not all of you will like! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Tell me what you thought of it! Read and review! I know I'm a pain in the ass, but really, I want to know what you think of my story, writing, etc, it really encourages me to go on!**

**Review replies (for my anonymous reviewers)**

**no: Because I'm just that evil! Don't worry, you'll know what will happen next on the next chapter (sorry, not in this chapter!)**

**Ok, so on with chapter 7! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. I own all the OCs in this story (Jake and the bad guys), but I don't really mind if you use them on your stories, but I suggest you to read this story until the end before you do so… You'll understand when the story is finished (which is not, it'll take me a while to finish it!)**

_Chapter 7: Meanwhile_

He walked calmly down the street. The Teen Titans were not far, but they were too busy fighting his new toy. They couldn't reach him. Their team name was well deserved; they were just kids…

Slade had his path cleared, and now he could go get what he wanted.

He knew very well what he needed. Now that he was alive again, and the Titans were back, he only needed one thing to be complete; one thing to take them down.

He needed an apprentice, and he was going to get it.

So, after giving a last glance to the struggling heroes, he turned to go to his destination.

He would get there in no time…

"…So he asked her to go to the Spring Ball with him, can you imagine?"

"Ha, ha, it must have been ridiculous!"

"What did she tell him?"

"You're not going to believe it; she said yes!"

The three girls burst into laughter, until one of them started talking.

"But, hey, in the end, they make a good couple, don't you think so? I mean, they are lame and all, but don't you think they're kinda cute together?"

The girl in the middle narrowed her eyes.

"They DON'T make a good couple, Molly. Don't ever say that again"

"Chill out, Tara, this is a free country!" the girl called Molly replied, chuckling. "And they DO make a good couple, haven't you heard of 'opposites attract'?"

"Yes, I have, and that's completely false!" Tara replied. "You can't love a person who is totally different from you; you'll always prefer someone who is similar to you!"

"Even if the two opposites somehow balance each other?" Molly asked.

"They DON'T balance each other!" Tara angrily answered.

"Wow Tara, one would think that you're talking about someone apart from them" the girl who spoke first said, giggling.

"What do you mean, Chloe?"

"I don't know… Have you ever been dumped by a guy similar to you for a girl who was his complete opposite?" Chloe asked, smiling evilly.

Tara glared daggers at her friend.

"No, I haven't!"

The two other girls started laughing again and the blonde called Tara gave them a death glare. Then Molly spoke.

"Oh, come on, Tara, don't get mad!"

"Yeah, we were just kidding!" Chloe added, still giggling a little.

Tara sighed.

"You two really know how to drive people nuts"

Chloe smirked at her.

"That's what friends are for!"

The three schoolgirls started laughing again. Chloe and Molly could be annoying sometimes, but they were the best friends Tara could ever have. She hadn't had friends this good in all her life…

Except for…

She mentally shook her head. She mustn't think about that. Memories would pour again in her mind, and she wouldn't be able to stop them…

But this was her territory. There was nothing there that could remind her of her old life.

He had come here. He had come for her, to take her back to the place she had once called home. He wanted things to be the way they used to be.

She refused; she told him things change, and that she wasn't that girl anymore…

No. She had to stop now. Just focus on the conversation. She used to be good at this; she just had to pretend that everything had been just an incredible dream… or a horrible nightmare. Yeah, that was better…

No, that was stupid. How could she think the happiest part of her life had been a nightmare? No, she shouldn't be thinking that…

"Tara? Are you OK?"

The blond girl blinked. Her friends were eyeing her strangely. She had zoned out completely and she had stopped walking without noticing.

"Uh… yes! I think I need some rest. I'll go home now"

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the mall"? Chloe asked.

"No, I'll just go home"

"Do you want us to go with you?" Molly asked, concerned.

Tara smiled. "No, I'm fine, I can go alone"

"OK… We'll call you tonight; we could hang out together tomorrow"

"That sounds great" she replied. "See you!"

"Bye" the two girls waved.

Tara watched her friends walk away. She had to do something to suppress all the rising memories again. Thinking of her old home, her old friends, made her want to do the things she used to do. She wanted to play videogames, eat weird food, hang out with her old friends, use her powers again…

She sighed. She knew she'd never do any of those things again. That part of her life was over. She was Tara Markov, the most popular girl in Murakami High School. Terra the Teen Titan was dead and buried.

She wouldn't play videogames again; she wasn't a tomboy! Not anymore, now she preferred to go shopping to the mall, or that was what she told herself…

She wouldn't eat weird alien food anymore; she was on a diet, even if she didn't need to lose weight. It was April; she had already started the Bikini Operation, she wanted to have the hottest body of all the High School, that was her main goal, or that was what she told herself…

She wouldn't hang out with her old friends anymore; she said she didn't remember them, no she DIDN'T remember them, really! She couldn't remember them because there was nothing to remember, they were superheroes and she was a schoolgirl, two different worlds that would never get together, or that was what she told herself…

She wouldn't use her powers again, what powers? She was just a normal girl, with a normal life, she studied for her finals, hanged out with her friends, read the tabloids, made up her face, and if someone threw her a ball of mud, she wouldn't move it away with her powers, she would just get dirty and be mad at the idiot who threw her mud, or that was what…

No, it was starting again. She shouldn't regret getting mad at the green boy who had thrown the mud ball at her, she shouldn't regret having denied acknowledging him, she shouldn't regret refusing his offer of being a Titan again… After all, her life was perfect now; she had everything she had always wanted: family, friends, a place to call home…

No. Scratch that. She already had all that before. Now she had even more. She had good grades at High School, she had money to buy tons of clothes, she was popular, she was cool…

She had a normal life…

"Hello, Terra. It's been a while"

Or not…

This was the worst part of her dream. This was where everything twisted to the point of no return.

The beginning of the nightmare.

The worst nightmare she had ever had, only that it didn't disappear when she woke up…

Slade…

Tara was speechless. How could he be here? He was dead, she had seen him die, hell she had _killed _him! This had to be just a nightmare; it's impossible to fall into a volcano and survive, so he couldn't have survived, and that meant this wasn't real. She was just dreaming. She only had to close her eyes…

"What's the problem, Terra? Cat got your tongue?" the villain asked. He seemed amused, the blond girl was sure he was smiling evilly under his mask…

"No… you can't be here… you can't…" she stuttered.

"Why couldn't I? This is a free country, isn't it?" he replied.

The former hero swallowed.

"You can't be here… because you're dead… I… I saw you…"

"Actually, I've been dead, but I came back. You know I always do"

"How… how did you come back?" she asked, more and more scared of the man in front of her.

"It's a long story, my dear. Why don't you come to my place, so I can tell it to you?" he suggested, offering his hand to her.

The geomancer stood still, not daring to move. She thought it was over, she was sure he wouldn't haunt her again! What should she do? The blonde was so afraid that she couldn't even move. What would she do? She knew exactly what his offer really consisted of: she would become his apprentice again, he would adopt her and become, once again, the father she had never had. But she'd have to do horrible things in exchange; she'd have to become a villain and hurt the best friends she had ever had…

The blond geomancer didn't move a muscle, and Slade lowered his hand.

"I see. Don't be afraid of me, Terra, I've already forgiven you for your betrayal, and I'm willing to ask you to be my apprentice again. Think about it, you know it's the best thing for you"

"W-what do you mean?" she managed to say.

"It's very simple: you don't fit. Anywhere. And you know. You don't fit at the High School, no matter how popular you are; you know it's not for you, and it will never make you happy. You can't be with the Titans, either; you betrayed them and they won't accept you anymore. The only thing you have left, the only person who will accept you, the only one you fit with; is me" the masked man said, narrowing his eye.

"You're wrong!" the ex-Titan exclaimed. "They… they still want me with them… Beast Boy… he came here for me! He still wants me!"

"No, Terra, he doesn't. Not after how you dumped him. He has forgotten you, and he has surely replaced you by now"

"No! He hasn't!" the girl screamed.

"He has. I've always known that your rivalry with Raven went way farther from who had the best powers. I know both of you felt the same for the green one. As much as I know that now he loves her"

"NO! HE CAN'T!" she shrieked. She couldn't believe what he was saying. If this was true, then he'd never accept her again, and neither would the rest of the Titans…

Slade was smiling under his mask. Everything was going just as planned. The geomancer would soon be by his side again. It had been a wise idea to use her feelings for the green one and the daughter of his former boss to bring her back. He had been watching her since he found out that she had came back from stone, and he hadn't bought that she didn't remember anything. He was right, as he had thought. He had made sure that the green one didn't take her back with the Titans again. It had been so easy to manipulate him… And now she was alone. He didn't give a damn about what he had just said to her; he didn't know if it was true and he didn't care, all that mattered to him was that he would have her back in no time…

"Not only he can, but he has. There's no reason to be sad, though. I'll let you think about it. You have three days to decide. After that, I'll come back to visit you… and I hope the answer I get will be pleasing. Goodbye for now"

After saying that, Slade disappeared into the shadows of an alley.

Tara, or Terra, she didn't know who she was anymore, stayed there for a while, unable to move, just looking at the spot where he had disappeared.

Tears started to form on her face, as she knelt down, clutching her head with her hands.

"What should I do?" she whispered.

**Sorry, shorter chapter! You can't expect all my chapters to be epic! =) By the way, there's something important I'd like to announce: My final exams start by the end of May, which means I should start studying, so it might take me longer to update. Don't panic, though, I'll STILL be writing this story, and I'll update as soon as possible, I promise. I hope you understand my situation. Final exams suck!**

**Remember, read and review, and vote on my poll, don't be evil, it would REALLY help me to know what you like best about this story (and if you don't like anything, just vote on "nothing, you're story is shit!" you would probably make me cry, though, and believe me, YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ME CRY UNLESS YOU WANT TO BECOME DEAF)**

**I'll try to update again before the weekend is over (I don't know if I will, but I'll try!)**

**Bye for now, be good! ;)**

**Avy.**


	9. The Beast unleashed

**Ugh I'm racing against time now! Come on Avy you can do it (not giving my real name, sorry, but it's really easy to figure out if you read my profile XD) I hope you like this chapter, we go back with the Titans and you'll finally know what happened to BB!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and as for my OCs… serve yourselves, though I recommend you not to do so until you finish reading this story (don't worry; this is definitely not the last chapter). Oh and I don't own the song "Forgotten" by Linkin Park!**

**Read and Review, and you'll make this poor psycho happy! =)**

_Chapter 8: The Beast Unleashed_

The TeenTitans had gathered together at the medical bay. They had put the Beast in a special cage Cyborg had designed after Beast Boy had morphed the first time in case he transformed again into the huge creature. He had wires in his body, which were connected to a machine that checked his vitals. The heroes' facial expressions differed between different grades of sadness, concern and confusion, but on the whole they were all feeling the same; they were worried about their friend.

Starfire's face was full of confusion. She looked at the unconscious animal sadly.

"I do not understand. Why hasn't he morphed back into a human yet?" she asked, still looking at her fallen teammate.

"I have no idea, Star. The other times he turned back into human once he was too tired" Cyborg replied. "He has just passed out from exhaustion and still remains like this"

"That thing… is it really Gar?" Jake asked. He looked completely bewildered. He had seen his friend's transformation at the labs, and he still couldn't believe his eyes.

"Can't you morph into the Beast?" Raven asked. Her calm face didn't fool anyone; it took just a look in her violet eyes to know how concerned she was.

"Of course not!" the changeling replied. "How can he do that, though?"

"He morphed into the Beast due to some chemicals that poured on him. They messed his DNA. I made an antidote for him after that, so he shouldn't have morphed again" Cyborg answered. He still didn't like Jake, but he was too worried for his best friend to show it.

"But he did. This is not the second time he morphed, but the third" Raven replied. She remembered very well how he had morphed to protect her from her father…

"He looks stable, from what I can see here" Robin said, looking at the machine that showed his vitals.

The Boy Wonder sighed. The last time he had morphed, he had been defeated by Slade's demons before he could show his full potential, and he was sure that he hadn't shown it either during his fight with Adonis. He wondered what to do when his green friend woke up… What if he didn't turn back to his human form? The first time Beast Boy had morphed, he had threatened to send him to jail. What would he do now if he lost control?

At moments like this, he could understand his adoptive father. Sometimes, being the leader sucked…

Raven walked to the special cage where they kept the unconscious creature.

"Maybe my powers can help him"

"That's not the problem, Raven. The real thing is how we'll deal with him when he wakes up" Robin warned her.

"He won't hurt me, Robin, you should trust him a bit more, you know" she harshly replied.

The empath opened the cage and walked to the sleeping Beast. She raised a hand and slowly put it on his head. Her healing light started glowing. She hoped that it could somehow help him…

The Beast slowly opened his eyes. He was a bit groggy, but when he saw Raven's face, rage started to run through his veins, waking him up completely. He roared and pushed the girl away, now completely awake and furious beyond belief.

_From the top to the bottom _

_Bottom to top I stop _

_At the core I've forgotten _

_In the middle of my thoughts _

_Taken far from my safety _

_The picture is there _

_The memory won't escape me _

_But why should I care _

The Titans prepared themselves to subdue the enormous behemoth. Robin went first. He pulled out his bo staff and ran to him…

_**Robin has always put me down, he's never taken me seriously. He even threatened me once, when all I was trying to do was protect Raven…**_

_There's a place so dark you can't see the end _

_(Skies cock back) and shock that which can't defend_

The Beast easily shoved him out of the way, sending him flying against the machine the Titans were using to check his vitals, making it crash down. Robin was lying unconscious on the ground due to the impact, and the wires connected to the Beast were now ripped off.

"ROBIN" Starfire shouted. She and Cyborg went to the creature's encounter. They wanted to use their super-human strength to subdue him and restrain him…

_**Innocent, naïve Starfire. She always bears good intentions, but she knows nothing of this world; she knows nothing of my pain. She will never understand me, and her sweet and pleading voice is getting on my nerves…**_

_**And then Cyborg, my best friend… but he can't understand me either, he attacked me when I was trying to protect Raven, he mistrusted me and thought I was going to hurt her… and he never takes me seriously, he doesn't respect me and treats me as if I was just an annoying brat, when I'm much more than that… But he can't see it, nobody can. And he calls himself my best friend…**_

_The rain then sends dripping acidic questions _

_Forcefully, the power of suggestion_

The two strongest Titans had underestimated the Beast's own strength. He caught both of them with ease on his powerful arms and sent them against a wall. Both crashed through the wall, completely destroying it, and they were knocked cold as they fell to the ground.

Raven watched in horror how the Beast had taken his friends down, one by one. Jake was beside her, his eyes open wide in fear. The Beast turned to face him…

_**He… Jake… he was my friend… he is a traitor, a thief, a deceiver… he took the most precious thing I had in this life away from me… I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM!! HE DIES NOW!!!!!**_

_Then with the eyes tightly shut looking thought the rust and rotten dust _

_A spot of light floods the floor_

With a roar, the Beast charged against Jake, who dodged him by turning into a bird and flying away to the opposite end of the room. The dreadful creature turned to him and charged again. Jake was cornered against a wall, he had no escape now…

Raven chose that moment to materialize in front of the Beast, getting in his way. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to, her eyes spoke for her. They were begging him to stop. Those two violet orbs were piercing his very soul, and it hurt him more than any cut, slash, punch or stab he could take. He stopped for a moment…

_**Raven… why? Why do you keep protecting him? What does he have to offer that I can't give you? Why do you have to love him? Why can't you love me? Do you also think I'm just a kid…? I see… You don't understand me either, and I get the feeling that you never will. You know what? I don't give a shit about you anymore, if you want to protect him, that's fine with me, but you won't stop me…**_

_**Nobody will…**_

_And pours over the rusted world of pretend _

_The eyes ease open and it's dark again_

Raven felt the Beast's anger and hatred like a knife stabbing her. It was directed to Jake, though. Why? Maybe it was the Beast's territorial nature? Or was it something else? She remembered how mad he was before he morphed… What happened to him? She could only do one thing right then.

"_Jake" _she telepathically told the scared changeling, _"get out of here. Now"_

He obliged at the same time the Beast jumped and pinned Raven to the ground. He was gritting his teeth at her, menacingly. She still had that look on her face…

And then she disappeared, phasing through the floor. The Beast roared in frustration and punched the floor, leaving a huge dent on it. He then noticed something.

His prey had fled away.

Howling, the creature ran through the tower, following his scent. He had fled from the tower in the form of a bird, but he was going to find him. He wasn't going to let his enemy get away.

Raven appeared again to see that both Jake and the Beast were missing. She decided to help her friends first, in case they were badly wounded. Starfire and Cyborg slowly got up. She was a bit bruised, but mostly unharmed. He had blood pouring from a cut on the left side of his head, and he felt a bit dizzy from the huge impact, but other than that he was OK. After being healed, the two super strong beings and the sorceress hastily went to assist their fallen friend lying with the remains of the machine. Cyborg checked him with his sensors. He had multiple bruises, his side was bleeding from the impact of the Beast's claws, it looked like he had broken his nose, and he had some broken ribs and a sprained ankle. Raven, however, healed him faster than she had expected, and soon he was looking fine again.

"Where is Beast Boy?" he asked.

"He tried to attack Jake, but I protected him and told him to run away, which he did. The Beast tried to restrain me, but I managed to escape. I think he noticed Jake was gone and he went after him" Raven answered.

"We have to find them, and quickly! Not only Jake's in danger, but all the citizens if we let the Beast make it to the city!" the Titans' leader exclaimed.

"We need to find a way to calm him down, so he reverts back into his human self" Cyborg said. "I don't like using tranquilizers, but it could be the only way…"

"We are NOT going to hunt him down like an animal!" Raven snarled.

"Look, I don't like this idea either, but at least I'm trying to do something!" the half-robot snapped.

"Who said I'm not trying to do something?"

"Please, friends, do not argue! If we want to find Beast Boy, we must stay together!" Starfire pleaded, stepping between them.

Cyborg sighed.

"OK, let's hear your plan"

"Well" she began, "as you said, we need to find a way to calm him down. I think I know the perfect way, but we must do something first…"

After Raven was done with her explanation, Robin discussed the strategy to catch the Beast, and he and Cyborg ran to the garage to get on the T-car and the R-motorcycle, while the girls flew to the roof of the tower and took flight from there.

_From the top to the bottom _

_Bottom to top I stop _

_At the core I've forgotten _

_In the middle of my thoughts _

_Taken far from my safety _

_The picture is there _

_The memory won't escape me _

_But why should I care_

_Somewhere in Omega labs…_

"My, my, what do we have here?"

Omega was in a room full of TV screens that showed different parts of the city. **(A.N. Because a bad guy isn't a bad guy if he doesn't have one of these XD)** He was focusing on one screen that showed an enormous green creature running through the street, causing chaos and destruction as he ripped off the doors of the cars and tossed them away, he also broke the shop windows, tore off a hydrant, sending water everywhere, and terrified the citizens, who quickly ran away. Omega smiled.

"_Tau, Ypsilon" _he telepathically called.

Two figures immediately entered the room. One was a woman with red hair and green eyes, the other was a tall and skinny man with dark hair and gray eyes, both of them were wearing a lab coat.

"Yes, master?" the woman asked.

"I think it's time we begin phase one of our operation. Look at this screen"

He pointed to a screen that showed Raven flying, enveloped in dark energy.

"This is the psychic. She's the only one whose mind I couldn't read; she had mental barriers, and they were good. Fortunately, it was quite easy for me to read subject number two's mind, he's like an open book, always showing his emotions, but he still hides some things from view… One of them being his feelings for the psychic. But he also holds a lot of anger against her, and we could use that to our benefit. I'll explain you my plan…"

_In the memory you'll find me _

_Eyes burning up _

_The darkness holding me tightly _

_Until the sun rises up_

_In Jump City…_

Jake arrived to the hotel where he had been living, wondering what to do. Should he wait for the Titans to take that… thing that was supposed to be his friend down? Should he run away again? No, too risky, Omega would probably find him before he could get too far… Besides, he was starting to feel well with the Titans, even if they didn't trust him. He thought that maybe he'd be finally safe with them…

"_Jake? Can you hear me? Where are you?"_

It was Raven's voice; she was speaking to his head again. Man, it felt weird.

"_I'm in the hotel. I was wondering what to do, I get the feeling that that thing isn't gonna stop until it gets me"_

"_He is in the city, looking for you, but don't worry, we won't let him get to you. You just have to go back to the tower; we have a plan to make him turn back to human" _the girl commanded.

"_Alright" _Jake answered, relieved that the heroes could get his old friend back.

He took the few things he had brought with him and put them in a suitcase. He then went to the window, changed to a pterodactyl and flew back to the tower.

_Moving all around_

_Screaming of the ups and downs_

_Pollution manifested in perpetual sound_

_The wheels go round and the sunset creeps past the_

_Street lamps, chain-link, and concrete_

_A little piece of paper with a picture drawn_

_Floats on down the street till the wind is gone_

_The memory now is like the picture was then_

_When the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again_

_With the Beast…_

The Beast kept running. He couldn't locate his rival's presence, but he couldn't stop searching until he had him in his teeth… He then saw a bright-colored motorcycle with the Boy Wonder riding it. He had a determined expression on his face. Did he want to run over him or what?

_From the top to the bottom _

_Bottom to top I stop _

_At the core I've forgotten _

_In the middle of my thoughts _

_Taken far from my safety _

_The picture is there _

_The memory won't escape me _

_But why should I care_

The huge animal hastily changed his direction and went down another street, only to be welcomed by the T-car, with his best friend in the driver's seat. What were they trying to do?

_In the memory you'll find me _

_Eyes burning up _

_The darkness holding me tightly _

_Until the sun rises up_

The great creature dodged the T-car by turning to an alley and following it to a bigger street. He kept running, still with Robin and his motorcycle following him, until he arrived to an intersection. He was going to keep moving forward when he was stopped by none other than Starfire, who was floating several meters above, throwing starbolts to him. He dodged them easily, too easily… Were they really trying to fight him? They could do way better than that!

_Now you got me caught in the act _

_You bring the thought back _

_I'm telling you that _

_I see it right through you_

He turned right, only to be stopped by the T-car. Starfire was now to his left, and Robin was driving to him from his right. He could only escape them if he turned to his back. The alien started throwing starbolts again. He could dodge them with no problem, but they stopped him from moving along the street.

_**They are trying to make me go somewhere… but where, exactly, and why? It doesn't matter, I'll get what I want anyway, if they want to play with me, so be it; whatever happens to them will serve them right for playing with fire!**_

_In the memory you'll find me _

_Eyes burning up _

_The darkness holding me tightly _

_Until the sun rises up_

He ran and ran along the street, chased by the three Titans, but he wasn't the only one…

Some meters away, Raven had landed and she was now running at full speed to her destination, hoping to get there before the Beast did. She accidentally bumped into someone. It was a woman. The young hero helped her up muttering an apology and ran away without turning back. The woman she had run into, a red head with green eyes, pulled out a black communicator from the pocket of her jacket and turned it on.

"Phase one of operation complete. The effects will appear almost immediately. We'll be able to start phase two of the operation by tomorrow"

"Excellent" Omega's voice said through the communicator.

Raven kept running and running until she got there. The place was empty, as usual. Perfect. Now all she had to do was wait for the Beast's arrival…

The Beast kept running through the street, still being attacked by Starfire and chased by Robin and Cyborg. He got to another intersection. It was just an alley with a few buildings, most of them abandoned. He got into the first he saw. It was a church. He knew this was a trap, but he didn't care; he was prepared. His sharp sense of smell caught a scent he knew very well; it was Raven's scent. It came from the other end of the church. He ran forward until he saw her. She was at the other end of the church, leaning against a wall. She beckoned to him, and he ran to her. He didn't know what he'd do once he reached her, but he found himself unable to resist her calling…

Just when the Beast got to the center of the church, where some flowers were blooming, he caught another scent; the flowers' scent. It was so relaxing… It invited him to forget about his worries, his anger, and just lie down and sleep, and he didn't oppose…

_In the memory you'll find me _

_Eyes burning up _

_The darkness holding me tightly _

_Until the sun rises up…_

The behemoth fell to the ground, sound asleep, and returned to Beast Boy's form. Raven went to where he was. Her plan had worked alright, and they didn't have to hurt him. She knelt down beside him and took him in her arms, ready to fly back home…

But she couldn't. For some reason, she couldn't feel anything from Beast Boy either. She tried to scan the street for her teammates waiting outside. Nothing.

She finally pulled out her communicator.

"Robin, I'm in trouble" she said.

"Has he attacked you?" her leader's voice asked worriedly.

"No, everything went fine, the only trouble is…" she swallowed. This had never happen to her, not since that time she was so afraid, but now her powers didn't work against her will anymore…

"…I can't use my powers"

**Raven is powerless! What are Omega and his goons up to? Will BB be back to normal when he regains consciousness? Will I ever shut up? I just have the answer for the last question, and it a big NEVER!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!! But I don't want you to shut up either, I want you to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter (I know, I still suck at fighting scenes, but I still want you to tell me so… I must be a masochist). What did you think of the Beast's outburst? Were you like "Go BB" or did you just want to punch him? I must say I love to make him mad, I don't know why! (Nothing against him, he's my favorite Titan after Rae!!) Well, as I was saying, review (by the way, I already have 40 reviews!! I'm so happy!! Thank you people, you really make my day!! ^^) and PLEASE vote on my poll, I know I said it would be open until this story ends, and it will, but that doesn't mean you can just say "I'll vote tomorrow" and forget about it! Come on, pretty please? You'll do me a great favor, really! It'll help me write not only this story, but the next ones I do when this is finished! So please, if you have time, go to my profile and vote! I'll be very grateful!!**

**OK, I think I've talked enough today. It's almost midnight and I have class tomorrow, so I'd better have some dinner (I know, it's very late, but I have strange eating habits XD) and go to bed. I'll update as soon as possible, promise!!**

**Bye for now (but not for long, I hope!)**

**Avy.**


	10. Anger and redemption

**Hi people! First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating in forever; I told you it would take me longer, but I still don't like being soo late! But don't worry, I'm not dead!**

**This chapter was going to be longer, but I had to skip the last part because it was way too long and this chapter is long enough as it is. I know there are people who make much longer chapters, but the chapters in this story have more or less the same length, and if I included the last part this chapter would be ENDLESS. By the way, it was meant to be a songfic, but that will also be included on the next chapter (see? So many things to write about, and so little time, I wish it was already July and my exams were over!) **

**Something else! Today (I've rewritten this author's note after I decided to divide the chapter in two) is my boyfriend's birthday, so this chapter is dedicated to him as a birthday present (even if it's not his birthday anymore when he can read it). He's an awesome writer, and he has recently started his own fic here! If you like Zelda games, you should totally check it (I didn't play the games, but I still liked it). His nickname is llew ifanc, and the name of his story is The Legend Of Zelda The rise of the darkness! I recommend it, even if he has only written the first chapter so far (but he's already working on the second, which should come up soon)**

**After this bit of advertisement, I'll let you enjoy this new chapter! As always, read and review, tell me if you loved it, you hated it or if you remained indifferent!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

_Chapter 9: Anger and redemption_

The sun was starting to set when the Titans went to track the Beast. It was almost night time when they took him to the abandoned church.

Robin, Starfire and Cyborg entered the church and found a reasonably confused Raven holding an unconscious Beast Boy in her arms. Cyborg took him and Starfire helped the dumbfounded girl up.

"When did you exactly lose your powers?"Robin asked her.

"I… I'm not sure; I was very concentrated in arriving here on time, so I didn't notice until I tried to use them"

They went back to the tower where Jake was waiting for them. He had arrived there with no problem. He was worried for Beast Boy, and not only because he had tried to kill him when he became the Beast. Cyborg left him in his room and then proceeded to scan Raven with his sensors, in search for an explanation to the sudden disappearance of her powers. He found nothing.

"Maybe it is one of your emotions; the same as when your fear took over and turned the tower into the 'Wicked Scary' movie" Starfire suggested.

"Not anymore" Raven answered, "now my emotions are under control, it wouldn't make sense"

"You should get some sleep, maybe you're just tired and you'll recover tomorrow" Robin told her.

"I don't think so, but I'll still go to sleep. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow and able to find an answer" she replied.

The other three Titans, and Jake, who volunteered to help in Raven's place, took turns to wake up and go to the observation room to check on Beast Boy through the camera. However, the teen slept soundly all night.

But his friends didn't know he wasn't so calm in his dream…

The changeling was in a huge field full of flowers with big white petals and a sweet fragrance… sweet fragrance?

Beast Boy immediately knew this was no normal dream, since while we keep the other four; the sense of smell is annulled in dreams. But he could clearly smell the flowers; that meant something was going on in his subconscious.

Something green was lying on the flowers a few feet ahead of him. Something huge.

The Beast.

Beast Boy went to where the animal was lying. He slowly got up, and went to the changeling's side. Then he started to run in the other direction. The teen followed him until they found that they weren't alone in Beast Boy's mind. There was a woman right in front of them, she was wearing white and had her face hidden under a hood. The Beast was growling at her; he obviously didn't trust her.

"**Who are you, and what are you doing in our domain?" **he said.

It wasn't the first time Beast Boy heard the Beast's voice in his head; he usually talked to him whenever Robin was bossing around too much and he thought the changeling had to rebel against him, showing dominance. He also warned him whenever Raven was in danger in battles, so he could protect her. He was pure instinct, the most primal part of him.

But it would always surprise him to hear his roaring voice in his head.

Right then, though, Beast Boy was more worried about the white clad woman in front of him, who was now answering the Beast's question.

"I am just what you can see, and fear me not, for I am here just to leave a… _friendly _warning"

Beast Boy didn't like the way she said that word; she didn't sound "friendly" at all, but… _friendly_.

"**We hear you" **the Beast growled. He looked pretty _friendly_, too. **"Speak"**

"As I was saying, I'd like to warn you about something that is going to happen… You have given into rage once, and you were wrong…"

"**Wrong?" **the Beast snarled. **"We have been fooled, betrayed and deceived, we had our right to give into rage and get our revenge!"**

"No, you didn't" the hooded woman calmly replied. "Because your actions caused damage to the people who care about you… But I'm not here to talk about that. Something is going to happen… something bad. You can stop it, but only if you resist; you mustn't give into rage. Someone will try to use your resentment to make you hurt someone you care about. You mustn't let that happen, because if you do… I will make you pay" her voice was extremely soft, but it still sounded menacing when she said that.

"**I would like to see you try!" **the Beast replied, gritting his teeth at her.

"You will see if you don't follow my advice" she calmly replied. "Now it's time for me to go and for you to wake up"

Everything surrounding Beast Boy went blurry, and before he could say a thing to either the woman or the Beast, he had opened his eyes and he was lying on the top bunk of his bed again. He had woken up. He found out that it was late, even for him. He jumped from his bed and took an outfit from his closet to get dressed, the strange dream he had had still present in his mind. Who was that woman, and what did she want?

He stepped into the common room to have breakfast. Seeing his teammates there made him angry again. He didn't greet anyone and just went into the kitchen to take his tofu bacon and eggs. He saw Robin heading into the kitchen after him, and he inwardly growled. He didn't feel like having to deal with his speeches.

He didn't expect what the Boy Wonder said instead, but it didn't improve his mood.

"Good morning. Are you feeling better now?"

Beast Boy glared at him and continued to prepare his meal. But Robin wasn't about to give up just like that.

"Look, about what happened yesterday…" he started.

Beast Boy turned to face him. He looked really angry.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" he snarled.

"Well, I think we should talk about it! You tried to kill Jake, what were you thinking about? Why did the Beast appear, in the first time?"

The green changeling flinched at hearing his friend's name. He gave the Boy Wonder a death glare and went to eat his breakfast. He noticed that everyone was looking at him, but he didn't care. Right then, he didn't want to be with anyone but him and his resentment. When he finished, he took his plate and washed it in the sink. Then he went back to the common room. Starfire was talking quietly to Robin. Beast Boy's sensitive ears allowed him to hear what they were saying; they were talking about him and the brief conversation Robin had just had with him. Cyborg was watching TV, or maybe pretending to be watching TV. He was actually listening to everything Robin and Starfire were saying. Raven was sitting next to him, reading (or trying to read) a book. Jake was by her side, looking extremely uncomfortable. Beast Boy curled his hands into fists when he saw those two together. He wanted to rip his friend's head off for that, but he somehow managed to calm down. He was about to make a bitter comment about them, but right then the doorbell rang. He mentally thanked whoever was waiting at the front door for allowing him to get away from the people in the common room. He stepped out of the common room and he went to the front door. He then opened the door.

And his brain froze.

"Terra?"

The girl who had told him that "things change" was now in front of him. She herself had changed; her attire was nothing like the clothes she used to wear as a Titan: she was wearing a red shirt with many buttons undone, showing a good view of her cleavage (there wasn't too much to show, though), a very short denim miniskirt, and a pair of brown cowboy boots with heels. She was carrying a huge brown bag which looked full of things. She was still as skinny as ever, but she had grown taller. Even without her heels, she would be taller than Raven. With them, she was almost as tall as Beast Boy.

But the green teen was too shocked to notice this.

Terra looked embarrassed. Her face was bright red and she was fidgeting with the strap of her bag.

"Uh... can I come in? I need to talk to you" she finally said, smiling awkwardly.

He stood there in silence for a while, just staring at the blonde in utter shock.

"Do you... do you remember now?" he asked.

Terra shook her head.

"Later. I need to talk to you first. All of you" she answered.

"Oh..."

Beast Boy frowned. He didn't feel like seeing the others again, but he complied and led the geomancer to the common room. The door swished open, revealing the two teens to the rest of the Titans.

"We've got a visitor" he mumbled.

To say everybody was surprised would be an understatement.

The Teen Titans couldn't believe their eyes. Beside Beast Boy, standing in the doorway, was none other than Terra, the Fallen Titan, the one who betrayed them for Slade, the one who then atoned herself and saved the city, dying as a hero.

The one who told Beast Boy that she couldn't remember anything about her past, that "things change", and that she wasn't the girl he used to know anymore.

Jake was a bit confused as to why they all were looking at the blond stranger like that. Sure she was pretty, but it couldn't be that (why would both Starfire and Raven be staring too, then? From what he knew, none of them were homosexual). It had to be something else, she had to be an acknowledgment of them, a very unexpected one, from the looks on the Titans' faces.

The blond girl shyly waved at them.

"H-hey" she stammered. " Could I... talk to you? I have something to tell you... and it's important"

Robin stood up.

"Please, sit down. We're listening"

She went to the couch and sat down where Robin had been sitting, between Starfire and Cyborg. Beast Boy went near the couch, but didn't sit down. Everybody was silent, waiting for her to speak.

"I know... you won't welcome me back... not after what I did... especially to you, BB..." she started.

"WHAT? Are you saying that you remembered ALL THE TIME?" he interrupted her, wide-eyed.

She slowly turned to face him, her face full of remorse.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. "I didn't want to lie to you, really"

"You didn't?" he snarled. This wasn't helping improve his bad mood at all. He was angrier and angrier. "Well, you seemed very convinced that you didn't even know me when I found you"

Terra's eyes were brimming with tears now.

"I know, and you can't even imagine how sorry I am! I felt horrible after I told you those things, you have to believe me!"

"I believe you Terra, because you're still Terra, aren't you?" he said, not showing any mercy for the girl.

"T-Tara. My real name... the name I've been using lately... is Tara Markov... but I'm still Terra at heart, really!" she exclaimed, some tears now roaming down her face.

"Right... Tara. You said you felt horrible after telling me those things, but, didn't you feel bad at all while you told me?" the changeling said, anger filling his voice.

"BB, you have to understand… I couldn't come back, not after what I did!" she sadly replied. "I was too ashamed of all my faults; I knew you wouldn't welcome me back, how could you? And even if you did, the guilt I felt, and still feel, was unbearable, so I started a new life where I had never been a Titan, but just a normal girl who didn't have to feel guilty, and was in peace with herself…"

The entire room was silent. Terra's faint sobs were the only thing that could be heard.

Beast Boy was the one who broke the silence.

"So you've decided to ditch your oh-so-fabulous life and come here because…?"

"I need your help" the blonde replied, pleading.

"Why do you need us? Did your goons dump you and you need new bodyguards?"

"Beast Boy!" Robin snapped. Then he turned to the geomancer.

"Maybe things aren't like they used to be anymore, but we're here to help. Tell us what happened"

Beast Boy glared at his leader, who decided to ignore him for the moment and focus on the geomancer.

"You're not going to believe it, but… Slade is back… and he's after me"

"WHAT?"

Everyone was dumbfounded. So this was what Slade was up to?

Robin frowned. He should have expected this after Beast Boy told him about his encounter with the villain after finding Terra, how could he have been so foolish?

"We already know he's back, it's a long story… but you said he's after you? Does he want you to be his apprentice again?" he asked.

"Yes. Yesterday he came by and offered me to go back with him… he said he had forgiven me for what I did to him… then he offered me to be his apprentice again, and he said I had three days to decide, and after that he'd come for me again…"

Terra's face was now full of tears. She had to pause to catch her breath.

"I don't know what to do, but I know I don't want to go back with him… but I'm sure he won't take no as an answer… Please, you have to help me!"

She then began to sob. Starfire put a comforting arm around her. Her feelings for the blonde were still confusing, but she was a very forgiving person, and she couldn't stand other people's suffering. Robin then went to her side and knelt in front of her.

"We won't let him catch you. Not this time" he told her reassuringly. The former Titans smiled weakly at him through her tears.

"Thank you" she said softly.

"You're welcome" the Boy Wonder replied. Then he stood up again. "You should stay here to be safer. You can use your old room"

"What about my parents? I've been adopted by a host family, and I'm worried about their own safety…"

"We'll take care of them too; we can escort them to somewhere safe"

"No!" Terra exclaimed. "Please, they don't know I used to be a superhero, and I don't want them to know… I prefer that they keep thinking I'm just a normal girl… a girl they can be proud of" she lowered her head.

Robin nodded. "Alright. We won't tell them"

"Thank you…"

"There is something that I would like to know, Terra" Starfire said then. "How did you manage to come back from stone? We all tried everything and we could not release you"

The blond girl shook her head.

"I have no idea" she said. "I just remember waking up and not being stone anymore… it was one year and three months ago…"

"Wait, one year and three months ago? Are you sure?"

The one who asked that was Raven. Her face was no longer unexpressive, but showed absolute surprise.

"Yes, I remember that perfectly. Why?" Terra replied.

Raven didn't answer. She seemed deep in thought.

"What's wrong, Raven?" Cyborg asked.

"One year and three months ago… it was when we defeated Trigon…"

Everybody's expressions changed to surprise and shock. They were all thinking the same.

"Are you saying that…?" Robin started.

"When I turned everyone back from stone to flesh, I might have changed Terra too, it's very possible" the empath finished for him.

Everybody was dead silent. They couldn't believe the news. But someone was getting sick of the forced silence…

Without saying a word, Beast Boy headed out of the room and went to the garage. He didn't care about his friends asking him what he was doing; he just couldn't stand being there with them another minute. So what now? Would they welcome Terra like anything happened? Would they let her be a Titan again? What about all the things she had done? What about all the things she had said? What about him and his feelings? Did any of his friends care?

The green changeling found no answer to these questions and decided that he needed some fresh air, so he took his white scooter **(A.N. Remember the one he got in "Employee of the Month?" Don't you think it sucked that they never included it again in the show? It was so cool!)** and drove out of the tower and the island through the underwater tunnel. He kept driving without direction until he saw the Jump City Park. He thought that a walk in the park would calm his nerves. He parked his scooter and started walking, receiving looks from the people there. This wasn't new to him, people always recognized him (like it would be difficult to miss a green dude, he thought), and sometimes they also asked him for autographs. This time they were leaving him alone, as if they knew this wasn't exactly the best moment to ask for autographs. Of course, not everybody noticed that small detail and a tall and skinny guy with dark hair and gray eyes went to him, a nervous smile on his face.

"Beast Boy, right? Wow, I can't believe it, my best friend and I are talking about you all the time; you're our favorite Titan! Could you… could you write me an autograph? I'd give him so much envy! Oh, I know! Could you write it on one of your gloves? He wouldn't believe me unless I got something from your outfit, I'm from Gotham, you know!"

The green teen sighed, took off one of his gloves and proceeded to write the autograph.

"What's your name?"

"Psilon, Yvan Psilon" he answered **(A.N. I know, crappy made up name, but don't worry, I'm not that unoriginal for names, there's a reason for this guy to have that name!)**

"Yvan… Okay, here you are" he handled the glove to the excited young man, who thanked him, shook hands with him and waved as he watched him leave.

After making sure Beast Boy had left, the man called Yvan pulled out a black communicator and turned it on.

"Phase two of Operation complete. The effects will be visible by tomorrow"

"Excellent" Omega's voice said from the other side. "The psychic won't get her powers back until tomorrow night, or even the morning after. A pity she won't live that long…"

Beast Boy got home in the evening. His friends tried to ask him where he had been and why he had left like that, but he just ignored them and headed to his room, hoping to get some sleep…

But things were never so easy, he couldn't just lie down and sleep, at least not while Terra was still in his room.

"What are you doing here?" he spat, making her gulp.

"I… I wanted to talk to you, so…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Beast Boy eyed her impatiently.

"What do you want?" he asked, losing the little bit of patience he had left.

"I… I just wanted to apologize again… for what happened" she stammered.

"Oh, so you want to apologize, that's funny; you betray me and break my heart, then you die, and come back only to treat me like shit and break my heart again, and now that you need my help, you want to apologize? That's a bit hypocritical, you know"

"BB… I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for what I've done, really!" the blond girl pleaded.

"You're sorry? What about me? What about MY pain, Terra?" Beast Boy retorted. "All the time, you've been playing with me; you didn't give a damn about me! Well, you know what? Now it's pay back time!"

"Beast Boy, no, please, you have to believe me!" Terra exclaimed, her face stained with tears. She then did something unexpected: she went to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. On his lips. He was shocked at first, but then he did what she was fearing he'd do: he pushed her away from him. He looked furious as hell.

"Get out of my room. Now" he said, his voice barely a whisper, but it sent shivers through Terra's spine. She immediately complied and left the changeling alone with his thoughts.

"_**How dare she!" **_the Beast roared inside his head. _**"She's a traitor and a liar; she doesn't have any right to touch us!"**_

"_You're right" _Beast Boy mentally replied. _"If she tries that again, she will pay!"_

The green teen knew he needed to rest and calm down; he had a strange feeling inside him since his return from the park. He didn't know what it was, but it was burning him, adding to the anger he had gathered since the day before…

But he didn't find rest in his sleep. He found himself again in the flower-covered meadow, facing once more the white-cloaked woman. She was trying to say something, but he couldn't hear her, there was too much noise… No, there wasn't any noise, it was just his head… but he was already inside his head... He couldn't think clearly, the noise was so annoying… It was like a jamming, but it strangely attracted him, it was calling him…

He turned round and followed the noise. He couldn't hear the woman's pleas anymore.

He woke up the next morning with the strident sound and the red light of the alarm…

**TO BE CONTINUED! I hope you liked it! Oh and before you say anything, I'm not bashing Terra, ok? So, Terra-haters, don't congratulate me, and Terra-lovers, don't try to kill me!**

**Read and review! See you next time!**

**Avy.**


	11. Twisted

**I can't believe I'm actually writing this! I've found some time to write! Yay I'm not dead! Hehe I hope you like this chapter, there's more action than in the last one (oh, well, in the last one there was NO action at all XD). This chapter is a songfic, **_**Snow White Queen **_**by Evanescence. I really recommend that song, it fits the chapter perfectly, especially the part with Beast Boy and Raven! The song includes both points of view, but mainly Raven's. Beast Boy's parts are the chorus and this part:**

_**Raven: I can't save your life, though nothing I bleed for is more tormenting**_

_**Beast Boy: I'm losing my mind and you just stand there and stare as my world divides**_

**Believe me, it fits!**

**By the way, this chapter is also based on an episode of Angel from the 3****rd**** season that I really liked; it's called Bill!**

**By the way, I'd like to thank DarkRapture for giving me the idea of using the song Monster by Skillet, that fits BB very well! Thank you, you've earned a cookie! =)**

**Another thing: 50 reviews! I can't believe it! I hope I can reach 100 reviews some day… But don't worry, I'm not one of those people who say "I won't update until I get X reviews!", I'm not doing this because of the reviews (though I really appreciate them wink wink), but because I love writing!**

**Ok it's time for me to say my disclaimer, but before I'd like to remind you to read and review, it means a lot to me, really! And vote on my poll if you have the time (you must be sick of hearing this XD).**

**Disclaimer (finally!): I don't own the Teen Titans, Angel, Monster by Skillet or Snow White Queen by Evanescence, as much as I'd like to own Amy Lee's voice!**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 10: Twisted_

Terra got up earlier than she used to do when she was a Titan. Back then, she was even lazier than Beast Boy, but going to High School changed her sleeping habits. She wondered what her former teammates would think of the clothes she was wearing: her old outfit, consisting on a pair of yellow shorts, a black t-shirt and her goggles. She used to put them at home when she was alone, to remember the good times, only to quickly put them off and regret it, since she was supposed to not remember anything…

The blond girl entered the common room. Everyone was already up, even Starfire, who didn't normally get up that early. The only one who was missing was Beast Boy, and Terra was grateful for that. She didn't know how to face him after what happened last night. She had been so stupid, why the heck did she have to kiss him? What did she expect to gain? Had she thought that, with a kiss, he'd magically forget everything she had done to him, forgive her and live together happily ever after? No, the geomancer knew better than that, but there was a part of her that kept hoping that someday, they could be together again…

Terra shook her head, trying to repress such thoughts. They had never been more than just good friends, they never had the chance to become something else **(A.N. Well, they did, but you already know how everything ended… it was probably the first time that I cheered Slade's apparition XD)**, and now she couldn't hope for him to forgive her or even talk to her again for a long, long time…

The girl looked around and found out, surprised, that no one had acknowledged her presence. She had expected some sharp comments about her outfit, but all the Titans seemed to be absorbed in a quiet conversation. She noticed the new guy in the kitchen. He hadn't said a word since she first saw him yesterday. She wondered if he was her replacement…

"Uh… Good morning!" she ventured.

Everyone stopped talking to look at her. She could see the surprise in their faces.

"Do you mind if I keep it? Just to… Remember the good old times" she said, finishing the sentence in a whisper.

The girl could see their reactions perfectly. Robin was meditating if he should say yes or no, Cyborg seemed speechless; he really didn't see that coming, Starfire felt compassion and pity for Terra, and Raven was raising an eyebrow as if to say "Are you kidding me?". The blonde also noticed the new guy's stare, full of curiosity. She started to feel observed and she blushed.

Robin eventually nodded.

"Alright, but remember that you're not a Titan anymore, so that suit officially means nothing"

"I know" she replied, just the slightest hint of sadness on her face. She then went to the kitchen to make her breakfast. She could cook some basic meals when she was a Titan; she had learnt during her travels. After she had started with High School, she had asked her adoptive father, who owned a restaurant, to teach her, and she discovered she was pretty good at it. Either that, or she just had a good teacher.

She made herself a Spanish omelet and sat at the table to eat it. She hadn't lost her eating habits, though she enjoyed a good meal; and she sure hadn't lost her strong appetite.

The geomancer noticed that the new guy (she had decided to call him that until she knew his name), who was sitting right in front of her, was also eating a Spanish omelet. He had just started eating so she guessed he couldn't have been up for long.

"Spanish omelet? Have you ever been there?" she asked him.

Jake stopped eating for a moment to look at the blond girl. She was sitting in front of him, having the same meal as him.

"Yeah, it was too dry for my taste, though" he answered.

"Really? Where have you been?"

"The center. Mainly the desert around Madrid, and Castilla"

"I've been to the north, and I've gone through it from east to west, and it wasn't dry at all, actually, the closer you got to the west, the wetter the weather became! It was full of forests and mountains. It was… beautiful" **(A.N. I know, undercover advertisement of the North of Spain, where I live! Hehe, now you all will come visit me!)**

Terra smiled warmly at the memories.

"Have you been to any other place?" Jake asked her.

"Oh, yes, I've been to almost all the world!"

"Same here! By the way, what was your name, Tara…?"

"Terra" she corrected him "Call me Terra. There are not many people who call me that anymore…"

"Fine… I'm Jake. Nice to meet you, Terra" he said, offering his hand and smiling. She took it and shook it, thinking that Jake was very nice, and that she may have a friend in the Titans' Tower after all…

After finishing their meals, they washed their plates and returned to the table to keep talking.

"So I guess you're my replacement" Terra told Jake.

"Uh… what?"

"You know, as a Titan" the blonde replied, a bit saddened. "What powers do you have? Because I hope I haven't been replaced by a weakling!" she joked.

"Uh… I think you're wrong… I'm not a Titan, I'm just here to receive protection from the Titans"

"Really? Why?"

"Omega Labs… It's a long story… Anyway, I do have some powers. Do you want a demonstration?"

"As long as you don't break anything…" she answered, smiling.

Jake smiled at Terra and then turned into a black Golden Retriever. The girl's eyes widened. Those powers were…

He then turned back into human and stared at her.

"Uh… Are you ok?"

"Uh… yes" she stammered. "Why do you have the same powers as… Beast Boy?" It hurt to say his name.

"It's a long story. We were friends as kids and we got infected from Sakutia. The cure made us this way…"

"I see… You're friends with BB…" Terra feared that Beast Boy would tell Jake everything about her, so he wouldn't want to be her friend anymore. Just when she thought things would get better…

"He's been acting weird lately, though… I'm not sure if he still wants to be my friend, and I don't know why…" Jake said, with sadness on his face.

"I thought it was just with me… Anyway, he has very good reason to not be my friend anymore… I betrayed him… All of the Titans, actually… I sold them to their worst enemy, and now there's nothing I can do for them to forgive me…"

"Are you sure? Maybe they just need time… Look, you regret what you've done, that proves you've changed. I'm sure they'll accept you again. It's a pity I can't say the same… They wouldn't accept me on the first time…"

"Wait, you want to join the Titans?" Terra asked.

"Well, traveling so much doesn't allow you to have many friends, I think you know that… Well, although I barely know them, I feel that they could be my friends… The first actual friends I'd have… And I also like the idea of being a hero and helping people, it's much better than running away like I've done until now…"

"Maybe they'll let you join them if you ask them…"

Jake smiled brightly at the ex-Titan.

"I know! Why don't we tell them together that we want to become Titans?"

"Uh… are you always this impulsive?" Terra said. "And are you sure it will work?"

"Well, we'll never know unless we try. What do you say? Deal?"

Terra looked at Jake's expectant face. It wouldn't do any harm to try… And she really wanted to get back to the old times…

"Deal" she said. Jake smiled at her. Then the alarm went off…

Beast Boy put on his outfit and hastily went to the common room, where the rest of the Titans, as well as Jake and Terra, were, and he headed to the TV screen, which was showing the trouble. There were two women at different points of the city, armed to the teeth with grenades, Molotov cocktails and more sophisticated gadgets of destruction that the Titans couldn't identify. They were throwing them mercilessly to any building or car they found, and people had already run away from them. One of the girls was blond and the other was a brunette, and both were very young; the blonde couldn't be older than Cyborg. They were wearing the same outfit: a black spandex suit with a silver belt attached, and black military boots. On their suits they were wearing different symbols: the blonde was wearing a ψ and the brunette was wearing a χ.

"We have to go now!" Cyborg exclaimed.

Robin stayed silent. Sure they had to go fight them, but what about Terra's parents? He had promised to take them somewhere safe. He could do that alone, but with Raven powerless and Beast Boy on his current state, there would be only Cyborg and Starfire left to fight the women… He didn't want to risk sending them to a one to one combat without knowing their opponents' strength…

Suddenly, the solution came out of nowhere.

"Robin, we want to help!" Terra said.

Everyone turned to stare at the girl. Jake was by her side, a determined expression on his face.

"Are you sure?" The Titans' leader asked.

"We want to become Titans like you! We want to help people and be heroes!" Jake exclaimed.

"It's not easy to be a hero, Jake. You have to…"

"I don't care; I know I can face it! Look, just give us a chance, okay? Terra feels sorry for what she did, and I'd like to help you, I'd like to be your _friend_… But I'd also like to become a hero"

The Boy Wonder stared at the black-haired changeling dumbfounded. He somehow got the guts to interrupt one of his speeches! Maybe he'd be helpful… And as for Terra, he knew that the team hadn't gotten over what happened yet; she'd have to prove she was worth trusting…

"Alright, you can help us. We'll talk about your request later. I have to go take Terra's parents to a safe place, so I can't be on this mission. Raven is powerless, so she can't come either. Someone should stay here with her in case she needs something. Beast Boy, would you do that?"

The changeling glared at his leader for what felt like forever, and then he went out of the room, to go to his own room and take a shower.

Everybody was dead silent.

"Raven" Robin broke the silence, "Since you're going to stay here, I want you to find out what's wrong with Beast Boy; he's been acting weird since he morphed into the Beast, and I'm getting worried…"

"I'll do all I can. I'm worried for him too" was the empath's reply.

"Alright" the Boy Wonder said. "Then the rest of you will combat those two in groups of two: Starfire, Cyborg, you take the lead. Starfire will go with Jake, and Cyborg will go with Terra"

Of course Robin wasn't stupid. He knew putting Cyborg and Jake together, knowing how the older Titan felt about the changeling, would be a disaster.

"Are you all ready, then?" Everybody nodded. "Good. Titans, GO!"

He, Cyborg and Terra went to the garage to take the T-car and his motorbike, and Starfire and Jake went to the roof of the tower. Raven stood there, watching them leave. She sighed and went to Beast Boy's room, to try to talk to him. She wanted to know what was happening to him, and if she could help, but most of all she wanted to know _why _he seemed so mad with her. The young empath went to knock in his door, when she heard a noise coming from it. She heard water, so she guessed he was taking a shower and turned to go away, when she heard the green teen's voice from inside the room. He was singing something. She put her ear on the door so she could understand what he was singing.

_It's scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls__  
__It comes awake and I can't control it__  
__Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head__  
__Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?___

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin__  
__I must confess that I feel like a monster__  
__I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun__  
__I must confess that I feel like a monster_

Raven covered her mouth with her hand. What was happening to her friend? She wished she could do something to stop it. But right then she was more useless than ever…

The purple-haired girl went to her room to change into regular clothes and search for a way to get her powers back, hoping to keep her mind busy from the thoughts of a certain boy…

Starfire and Jake arrived very quickly to the place where the brunette woman was. She was still throwing grenades to the parked cars she found, was disastrous consequences.

"Stop, whoever you are! You shall not continue these terrible acts!" the alien princess exclaimed.

The young woman did stop to take a glance at the two people there. She then smiled evilly.

"Experiment number one and the Tamaranean, it seems it's my lucky day" she said. "Unfortunately, I wasn't ordered to capture you, but to fight you!"

"If you want a fight, you'll have it! I'm sick and tired of you guys going after me!" Jake challenged her.

"Alright. But know this: you won't be able to beat me, Xi, not even in a thousand years!"

Starfire let out a battle cry and flew to combat; Jake followed her, morphed into a wolf. Xi just stood there, watching them approach her. Suddenly she took a breath, and they got near enough, she screamed to the top of her lungs. As a result, an air stream was formed, and it pushed the two teens away from her, and into the glass of a shop, which shattered. Xi started laughing maniacally and then pulled a black communicator out of her belt.

"Hey, sis" she said, "you won't believe it, I beat them! Our plan is working perfectly!"

The T-car, with Cyborg and Terra inside, arrived to the other point of emergency. The blond girl was still there, staring at a burning car. Her hair was platinum blond, almost white, and her skin was tanned. She was more or less the same height as Starfire. They got out of the car and went into her direction.

"Hey blondie! You've had enough fun today, time to bed now!" Cyborg yelled.

The girl then turned to face him. She had very weird eyes; they were gold. They were also void of any emotion.

"Sorry. I can't do that" she said in a deadpan that could rival Raven's.

"Why not? You don't have enough neurons or what?" Terra retorted. She seemed eager to fight, eager to be a hero once more.

"You know, stereotypes about blondes' intelligence sound weird coming from a blonde… Unless you're dyed"

Terra's face was red with rage. She remembered the high school, and the stupid girls who said that of her because they envied her hair color.

"I. Am. A. Natural. BLONDE!" she screamed.

The other blonde smirked and shook her head.

"You know, you remind me of a friend… She always gets mad whenever someone says that to her… She got so tired that she dyed her hair, and now she's not a blonde anymore… But you're not here to hear that, right?" her voice and face became expressionless again.

"Yeah, we're here to stop you! Come on Terra!"

"Terra? Where did I hear that name?" the girl asked.

"I used to be like you: a villain. But not anymore. Now I'm a hero, and I'm going to stop you! BRING IT!"

The girl stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

"So… Terra. My name is Ab… I mean Psi. And you cannot stop me, I just can't let you do that, sorry"

Psi closed her eyes and concentrated. Cyborg and Terra were advancing towards her in a boulder summoned by the geomancer. When they got closer, Psi opened her eyes, and a blinding white light emanated from her, blinding both Cybog and Terra and stunning them, which caused the ex-villain to lose concentration and make their boulder fall. Psi advanced towards them, walking slowly. Cyborg recovered first and got up, just to find the villain right in front of him. She looked at him for a second and then kicked him with full force, knocking him out, blood pouring from his nose. Terra was still getting up, when Psi went to her and kicked her guts with such force that she knocked her cold. A few seconds later, a beep sounded from her communicator, and she pulled it out.

"Psi here. Really? I did it too. Yeah. Alright, but we should stay in case they recover consciousness earlier than expected"

Beast Boy got out of his room, now wearing a red T-shirt with blue jeans. He stepped into the common room and he was relieved to see that Raven wasn't there. He sat at the couch and turned on the TV. There was nothing interesting on TV, only a movie about a boy whose girlfriend cheated on him. The changeling started to be angry again…

Raven stepped into the common room after some fruitless searching. She couldn't concentrate in her books, though. She had changed into regular clothes: a dark blue T-shirt with matching jeans that went down to her knees. It was a hot day to be April. She saw her friend sitting on the couch, and she felt that she couldn't go there, not yet.

"Should I go away? No… I have to find out what's wrong with him… but how? I'm not exactly good with people…" she thought.

"I know! I'll make something for him! He's always trying to get me to try his tofu, I'll make him some tea" she then thought.

The Azarathean girl went to the kitchen, took her kettle and filled it with water to make it boil. She then went to the shelf where her tea bags were. There was a problem: she was too short to reach the shelf without her powers. She tried jumping, she could open the door of the shelf, but she lost her balance and fell to the floor with a squeal. Beast Boy snorted irritably. Raven got up, rubbing her sore rear. She then stood on her tiptoes and tried to reach for the shelf again. She then had an idea: she climbed to the worktop and took two bags of tea. She closed the door of the shelf, smiling victoriously, but then she heard the whistling kettle, became nervous and fell to the floor again with a scream. Not having powers was tougher than it seemed. Beast Boy grumbled under his breath.

**(A.N. I know she could just have used a chair, but I wanted to write a comical scene with Raven, for some reason I love those. Besides don't you think that Raven being clumsy is very cute?) **

The Azarathean girl ran to take the teapot and fill two cups she had managed to pick. She then walked to the couch and sat there, putting the two cups on the coffee table. She then took one of them and offered it to Beast Boy.

"Uh... I made this... for you... You know, since you're always doing things like this for me, I wanted to return the favor"

The green teen took the cup and drank all its contents. It tasted too bitter for him...

"How is it?"

Silence.

"Gar...?"

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Doing what?" she said, confused.

"Hurting me that way. Pretending to be my friend. Pretending to care about me, even after betraying me..."

"What are you talking about? I've never betrayed you!" Raven protested.

"Are you sure of that?" he growled, glaring at her. Anger was raising inside of him...

Raven got up from the couch

"What the heck is wrong with you?"

Beast Boy stared at her, irate by her comment.

"What the heck is wrong with me? And you're asking me?" he said, getting up too.

"You've stabbed me on the back, and then treat me like nothing happened, after being so close to me..."

He got closer to Raven, while she backed away. He cornered her against the wall. Then, with one of his claws, he scratched Raven's right arm. She felt blood falling down her arm. She looked at the changeling in front of her,and she felt fear.

"You're always so tempting... it's like you're doing it on purpose... and that's not nice, you know? To play with someone's feelings like that"

"What are you...?"

Raven was cut off by the changeling, who pinned her to the wall and smashed his lips against hers abruptly. **(A.N. By this point I'm sure most of you are like "OMG! HE KISSED HER!")**

_Stoplight, lock the door.  
Don't look back._

_Undress in the dark,  
And hide from you,  
All of you._

Raven couldn't believe what was happening. Sure Beast Boy kissing her was already hard to believe, but there was something about his kiss that didn't feel right... He wasn't himself, it wasn't supposed to be like this... Something was making his beloved act like that, and she wouldn't let it control him...

The empath managed to kick the shape-shifter where it counts and escape from him, while he was bent down from the pain. She ran the fastest she could, heading to Beast Boy's room, with a plan in her mind.

_You'll never know the way your words have haunted me.  
I can't believe you'd ask these things of me.  
You don't know me._

When he recovered from the pain, Beast Boy started searching for her prey... There wasn't any other possible name for her... Her scent was stronger, now that she was bleeding... It wouldn't be difficult to find her. He ran across the hall. Her scent was leading him to his room, but then it disappeared...

"Where are you hiding?" he asked to the air.

_You belong to me,  
My snow white queen.  
There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over.  
Soon I know you'll see,  
You're just like me.  
Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you._

Raven started rummaging through the changeling's clothes, looking for his laundry. His room was a complete mess, as usual. She found a T-shirt and she tore it to bandage her arm. She had a scratch, it wasn't too deep, but it bled profusely and she needed to stop the hemorrhage. It wasn't like her life was endangered, but it could be if a certain teen smelled the scent of it and found her.

_Wake up in a dream.  
Frozen fear.  
All your hands on me.  
I can't scream_

_I can't scream_

The empath finally found what she needed. She took a specially big T-shirt from Beast Boy and put it on, hopefully her scent would be camouflaged by his... She then got out of the room and started running again. She knew her friend wasn't himself, and she had to stop him, but she wouldn't be able to do that using her strength, especially not now...

_I can't escape the twisted way you think of me.  
I feel you in my dreams and I don't sleep._

_I don't sleep_

Beast Boy entered his room, guided by the Azarathean's scent and the tiny drops of blood she left on the floor. As soon as he got in, he knew she wasn't there, her scent was there, but she had moved. He knew it because of the torn T-shirt on the floor, which had some blood on it. He smelled it, already knowing who that blood was from.

"Raven..."

The green teen screamed and tore the T-shirt in pieces. Now he was even madder, he needed to find her soon... He got out of his room and started smelling the air... There was a very faint scent on it, and it led to...

_You belong to me,  
My snow white queen.  
There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over.  
Soon I know you'll see,  
You're just like me.  
Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you_

Raven was in her room, preparing everything. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but she couldn't let him get to her...

Sharp claws ripped off her door, and the face of her teammate appeared at the door.

"I've found you" he sneered.

_I can't save your life,  
Though nothing I bleed for is more tormenting._

"Gar..." Raven murmured.

"What? Did you think you could escape from me? That I wouldn't find you?"

He approached the girl slowly, she was at the other edge of the room, sitting on her bed, with her back against the wall. He had her cornered...

"You can't escape from me. You're not fast enough, hell, you're not even strong enough, not without your fucking dark magic! The only thing you are is a young smart girl, but that's not enough. You can't defeat me with your wit" he said while he kept approaching. He was next to her wardrobe.

_I'm losing my mind and you just stand there and stare as my world divides._

"Yes, I can" she said. She then showed a string and pulled of it. It was tied to the wardrobe's door, where she had put lots of her books so they wouldn't be stable. When the door opened, all the books she had put there fell... over Beast Boy's head.

_You belong to me,  
My snow white queen.  
There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over.  
Soon I know you'll see,  
You're just like me.  
Don't scream anymore my love, 'cause all I want is you._

_All I want is you,_

_All I want is you._

She then ran to where he was and checked his vitals. He was unconscious, but he looked okay. She sighed and pulled out her communicator.

_Later..._

"I don't get it... Why didn't we finish them?" Xi asked.

"Because Omega didn't want us to do so. We had to gain some time so the final phase of the Operation could be done" Psi answered.

"Did we succeed?"

Psi stood silent for a moment, watching the sunset from the roof of Keller Labs building.

"We'll know soon"

_Back to the Titans' tower..._

"Sorry for the delay, we had a tough time with those two..."

The Titans were at the partially destroyed medical room. Cyborg was cleaning and healing Raven's wound. Beast Boy was on a bed, next to her, still unconscious.

"This will heal soon... Let's hope Robin comes back soon so we can talk about what happened" he said.

"It's okay, Gar wasn't himself, I'm sure he'll be better when he wakes up" Raven said.

"I hope so, my friend. It is not nice to see Beast Boy like this" Starfire lamented"

"Let's let them have some sleep, Star. We should do that as well, today's been a really long day..."

Cyborg, Starfire, Terra and Jake left the med bay, leaving the other two alone.

"You can open your eyes again, Gar"

The changeling complied, surprised.

"How did you know I was awake?"

"I'm starting to feel some of your emotions... I think I'm starting to recover my powers... But I think I'll need to sleep to recover them fully..."

They stayed silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry..." Beast Boy finally whispered.

"For what?" Raven asked.

"For what I've done to you... for what I almost did..."

"It's okay, Gar, you weren't yourself. Something or someone was manipulating your mind, and we'll discover what, or who" the girl told him, more serious than ever. "Now go to sleep. You'll be better tomorrow"

The empath turned and tried to sleep, which she soon achieved. When she did, Beast Boy turned, put his hands on his face and wept. He kept crying until he fell asleep...

He was again in the meadow, with the white-hooded woman. The Beast was by his side. He looked... regretful.

"I know why you're here" the changeling said. "You came to punish me, right? Alright, do it, it's what I deserve for hurting her..."

The woman pulled off her hood. Her face was very beautiful, but it was full of sadness. She shook her head and disappeared.

That night, Beast Boy had the worst nightmares of his life.

**The end! Muahahahaha! **

**So... you want to kill me, right? Sorry, it'll have to be some other day, right now I don't have time to die! Don't forget to read and review, and don't worry, I won't be out for so much time, since my exams have finally finished! Hooray!**

**So... read and review, tell me if you liked it, if you love me, if you hate me... And please, vote on my poll! You'd make me sooo happy! **

**Alright, I have to go! Bye bye, I love you people (not as much as I love llew ifanc, but you get the point)**

**Peace,**

**Avy.**


	12. Terra's path

**Hi again! I really hope you like this next chapter, and I'm really sorry for being so late. From now I think I'll be able to update faster again. At least I'll try to not stay without updating for months.**

**Okay, before you start reading the chapter, I'd like to say some things. First, I want to dedicate this chapter to DudeYourAwesome8, as I promised her. You're the best! Keep rocking, and never stop smiling! =)**

**Second, the anonymous reviews. I've receive three and I'll answer them here.**

**rae: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so much, and this chapter will be up as soon as I finish it, that I hope to do soon! **

**Esha: Thanks a lot! So you read That kind of love too, or just this one? Don't worry, I will update soon since my exams are now over and I have time to write again!**

**Maxx: Of course I am dude! I'm not leaving it just like that! I'm glad you liked the story!**

**I think I have nothing more to say. I just hope you enjoy this chapter. Read and review, and vote on my poll if you have time!**

**I hope you like it!**

_Terra's path_

Beast Boy woke up to the sound of muffled cries. He straightened up and looked at the bed next to him to see Raven and Starfire. The Azarathean was hugging the Tamaranean and hushing her while she cried inconsolably on her best friend's shoulder. He jumped of the bed and went by the girls' side.

"What's wrong, Star?" he asked.

Cyborg entered the room in that moment. Starfire looked at him, her eyes red of so much crying.

"Is he back yet?" she asked.

"No" he answered sadly.

She started sobbing again on Raven's shoulder. The Azarathean did her best to comfort her grieving friend.

"I'm sure he'll be back in no time" she said.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked.

The three of them looked at him for the first time in that morning.

"BB! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"I'm better now" the changelling replied. "What's wrong?"

"Rob hasn't returned from his mission yet"

"What? Did he get into a trap or something?"

The older boy shook his head.

"We don't know. Terra and Jake have been trying to contact him, and we've been searching through the cameras, but found nothing. I was going to send them on patrol…"

"Cy! Robin is back!" Terra shouted, entering the med bay. Jake was behind her, carrying a semi-unconscious Boy Wonder.

"ROBIN!" Starfire cried, immediately running to her beloved. She gently took him from Jake and carried him to one of the beds. He had been badly beaten, and according to Cyborg's sensors, he had broken some ribs. He also had several cuts and bruises, and beneath his mask he had a black eye.

"Rob, what happened?" Cyborg asked.

Robin slowly turned his head to face his friend.

"S-Slade… I was… I'm sorry…" with that, he fainted.

Starfire knelt by her boyfriend's side and started to weep. Terra watched the scene with a mix of horror and realization on her face.

"My parents… What happened to my parents?"

The alien princess took her boyfriend's hand, still in tears. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Raven.

"I can heal him"

Starfre stared at her best friend in awe.

"But Raven… Your powers…"

"They're back. Sleeping helped me recover them"

She got closer to her leader and stretched out her arm to rest her hand on his wounded body.

"Besides" she continued, "he can't stay in this room being like this. Look around you, it's still partially destroyed"

While she proceeded to heal Robin, the others looked around. The Beast's attack had left the infirmary in a much deteriorated state, with a whole wall demolished and some broken machines. Beast Boy dropped his head with shame. He then raised it slowly, looking at his teammates. Starfire was kneeling by the bed, still holding her boyfriend's hand. Jake was watching the scene, worry filling his face. Cyborg was checking everything Raven was doing. The empath was healing her fallen comrade. She had recovered all her powers during the night, and she was healing Robin very quickly. He then took a glance at Terra... He saw her get out of the room unnoticed, and he had seen a tear in her eye. He followed her without anyone knowing, though he swore he saw a flash of violet before he got out…

"Terra…" he whispered.

The geomancer stopped walking and stood in the hallway, her back still facing the changeling.

"What?"

"A-are you ok?" he asked, walking towards her.

The girl turned to him. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she wasn't crying. She was doing her best to hold them back.

"My parents have probably been captured by Slade, and Robin has got his ass kicked. How do you think I am?"

"Uhh… Okay, that was probably not the most adequate question… Sorry" the green teen stammered, "but I'm really worried about you, and not only for this…"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Beast Boy's ears dropped and he found something extremely interesting to stare at on the ground, like every time he was sad or ashamed of something. He then looked into the blond girl's blue eyes and spoke:

"When I… Turned into the Beast again, something changed inside me… I know it wasn't him, it was something different that…"

"The Beast?" she interrupted, now curious.

"Uh… It's a long story. But something from outside made me change inside, turning me into a bastard… The bastard who caused so much trouble to my friends, the bastard who tried to kill Raven… And the bastard who hurt you"

Terra's expression changed again; it hurt her to remember the things he had told her and the way he had behaved around her.

"I didn't mean those things, really. I'd love to be your friend again, and also your teammate" he whispered, offering his hand to her. "Please, forgive me"

The blond girl stared at Beast Boy's green hand. She slowly raised her own hand and touched the changeling's one tentatively. He wrapped it around hers, and they shook hands. He smiled shyly at her, she smiled back. And then, they embraced. Terra started crying in his arms, Beast Boy did his best to hush her and comfort her.

"Oh, thank you, BB, thank you…" she whispered again and again.

After a while, they parted. She was blushing slightly.

"Uh…" she started. "About what I said the other day… I…" she took a breath. "I still keep it. I won't hide what I feel for you"

"Terra…"

Beast Boy seemed surprised by her confession. Then he looked sad.

"I'm sorry… From the first time, I loved you; I really did, but… Even then, I was in love with someone else, and… I still am"

"It's Raven, right?" the geomancer said in a whisper.

The green changeling retreated a few feet back from the girl in surprise.

"How did you…?"

"I've always known, from the way you look at her" she answered, smiling sadly. "But I was hoping that I could make you forget about her… now I know I was wrong"

"Terra… I'm…"

"Don't say you're sorry" she interrupted. The blonde looked up at the boy; she was smiling brightly. "For I won't give up so easily!"

"Uh…"

"I know you don't return my feelings right now, but I won't stop until either you come back to me or you and Raven get together!"

She then got closer to the boy and kissed his cheek, making him blush.

"Ahem"

The two Titans turned to see a not very happy-looking Raven glaring at Terra.

"Robin's awake now. He has something to tell us. He said it specially concerns you, Terra."

The blonde's expression changed to one of worry.

"I wonder if it has to do with my parents... I hope they are okay"

Beast Boy put a hand on the girl's shoulder reassuringly (but not without earning a glare from Raven). She took a deep breath, smiled at her friend and went into the med bay. Raven stayed there, still glaring at Beast Boy.

"So... I see you're very good friends again" she said, trying unsuccessfully to hide the jealousy she was feeling.

"We... reconciled"

"I see... So now you're going to act like nothing happened, am I correct?"

"What's wrong with you? Why can't you just trust her again?"

"It's funny that you say that" she replied "considering what you told her yesterday"

"You know I wasn't being myself, actually, I already said sorry to her for it" he whispered, now hurt by her comments "It's very mean from you to say that"

Raven was going to reply, but then she thought better. She was being an ass, just because of her stupid jealousy. And she could feel Gar was hurt.

She sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that last one, it's just that... I'm not able to just be her friend again just like that, you know? It may be very easy for you, but not for me"

"Then try to! You only have to be nice, not her best friend forever or her girlfriend like you did with Jake" he spat bitterly. Even if he regretted everything he had done, he still didn't understand the empath's relationship with his childhood friend three days after meeting him... And of course he didn't like it.

"Excuse me?" she said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Don't play the fool with me. I know about you two, I saw you kissing at the Omega Labs. You know, you could have told me about it, I think friends are supposed to talk about things like that..."

The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Me and Jake, kissing? Oh, wait... Gar, I think there is a misunderstanding here... You see, we weren't kissing, but just pretending"

The green teen looked as if someone had punched him really hard on his face.

"Pretending? For what?"

"We were pretending so no one noticed I was mentally scanning the building to find Starfire. Someone rubbing her temples and chanting a mantra is not the portrait of discretion, as you may know"

Beast Boy's feelings changed. Now he was feeling completely stupid.

"I thought that... Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay. Tell me, was that the reason you got that mad?"

That question made him a bit uncomfortable. The Azarathean sensed this, and she was about to tell him that he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to, but he spoke first.

"I... yes, it was because of that"

"Why? I mean, I can understand that you get upset if I don't tell you about who I am dating, being your friend, specially if he is a friend of yours as well. But I don't get why you'd get _so _angry, it would be my decision after all"

Now he was very nervous. He felt that it was now or never...

"I..."

"Grass stain, Raven, could you come into the med bay? Robin's got something important to tell us, and it's urgent!"

The shape-shifter inwardly groaned because of his once again lost opportunity and headed to the medical room with Raven. When they were there, Robin, who was sitting on his bed, started speaking.

"As I told you, I have some important news, but first, Beast Boy, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm ok... Hey, Rob, do you mind if I save the explanations for later? Maybe this is more important"

"I'd never say your condition is unimportant, but indeed this is imperative. First of all, sorry, Terra. I've failed to keep my promise. Slade... he got your parents"

"No!" she exclaimed in horror.

"He attacked us suddenly. I was unable to beat him and he took them..."

He took a breath.

"I'm very sorry, really, but I swear we are going to bring them back to you safe and sound!" the Boy Wonder proclaimed.

"But how are you going to do it? He must have like five or more hideouts in all Jump City, how can you know where he's keeping my parents?"

Suddenly, the video call alarm started ringing, making all the Titans go to the main room to see on the TV screen who was calling.

It was Slade.

"Greetings, Teen Titans. Terra, what a wonderful sight. I see you wear your heroine outfit again"

"What have you done with my parents?" she asked with fear on her voice.

"Easy, girl. I've called just because of that. I guessed you would be here, and I was right. Now, your parents... Well, see it yourself"

The camera moved to show a dark wall. There were four people chained to it. Two of them were Terra's parents, and the other two were her friends, Chloe and Molly. Terra gasped in horror.

"Tara? Tara, what's happening? Are you OK?" Terra's adoptive mother asked, startled.

Then suddenly the camera moved again to show Slade's masked face.

"Well, Terra? What do you choose? Will you come back to me... or will you stay with your former friends?"

The geomancer looked at her partners. All of them had worried expressions; they hadn't gotten over being her enemies, and they obviously didn't want to be that again. Raven was staring intensely at her...

She turned round, giving her back to the Titans.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. "But I have no choice. I can't let him hurt them"

"No!" Starfire screamed, her face already stained with tears.

The blonde eyed her sadly.

"Yes Star, I have to do this"

"I knew you would choose wisely, my dear" Slade said in his icy voice "Come to the cave in the cliffs of the bay, we are waiting for you there... Oh, and don't dare to bring your "friends"... An accident may occur. Titans, this is not my hideout, so don't bother coming here"

The connection was cut off, and now the TV screen was black again.

Everyone was dead silent.

"Well..." Terra said, breaking the suffocating silence "I think it's time for me to go"

"Terra..." Beast Boy whispered.

"Please, friend Terra, do not go! You cannot let Slade have his way" the alien princess pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Star, I can't. The lives of four people who are dear to me are endangered. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe"

"Does that include becoming our enemy?" Robin asked.

"If I can't help it, yes. I don't like this either, Robin, but as I said, I have no choice."

She then turned to get out of the room.

"Don't come with me, I don't like goodbyes" she whispered before crossing the swishing doors.

She was gone.

"What now?" Cyborg wondered.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"Are we just letting Slade get away with it?"

"What do you want to do? Fight him and have Terra's family and friends murdered? You know we can't let innocent people die like this"

"So you're saying we're gonna have to take Terra down again?"

"Do you think we have any choice?" Robin protested.

"We do"

It was Raven who spoke. Everybody turned to look at her.

"What are you talking about?" the Boy Wonder asked her.

"Terra and I... We have a plan"

All the Titans stared at her in confusion. They hadn't heard them speak one word.

Then it clicked to them all.

"The telepathic link!" Beast Boy exclaimed in wonder.

"Exactly. Listen, this is what we're going to do..."

_With Terra..._

The blond girl was flying on a boulder towards the cliffs. She was hearing Raven's voice in her head. It felt weird.

She found the cave and got inside it. The entrance was big enough for her boulder to go through.

There, in the middle of the cave, was Slade, and behind him, chained to the walls, were her parents, along with Chloe and Molly. Terra went jumped off the boulder and went there.

"Take this" Slade said, handing her something "If you want some privacy you can put it on there" he pointed to a dark corner that seemed to lead to a hallway.

Terra took the gadget her boss was giving her. It was her old villain outfit. She gulped and went to the corner to put it on. At least she had someone to talk to in her mind, even if she didn't really like the violet-haired heroine. She put on her new clothes, trying to keep her cool for the sake of what it was about to happen...

_With the Titans..._

The six heroes went hastily to the place where Terra and Slade were, since they had already tracked the cliffs for the cave. Raven took everyone inside her cloak so she could teleport them to the interior of the cave unnoticed.

They were inside. The cave was huge, and it was completely empty safe for the four scared people chained to the wall on the other corner of the cave, and for the man standing in front of them in the middle of the place.

"Slade" Robin snarled. "We're here to rescue the people you've captured"

"Does that include your blond friend? Because I don't think she's willing to go back with you" the villain said mockingly.

"We'll see that. Titans, GO!" The bird-doy shouted.

The six teens charged against their enemy, who just stayed there and laughed maniacly. He clapped his hands and a huge boulder fell just in front of the Titans, who had to step back to not be smashed by the enormous rock.

"Well done, Terra. Now, come to finish them"

The geomancer appeared from the shadows. She was wearing Slade's uniform. Her face was completely emotionless.

She silently raised her hand, and a new boulder, even bigger than the last one, started to form on the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to do this. If you hadn't come, things would have been easier" she said.

"But... Terra... I thought..." started Raven.

"You thought wrong" the blonde cut her off. Then she motioned her hand and the boulder fell over the Titans, smashing them...

**It's over! Muahahahahahahaha!**

**Well, tell me what you thought of it. Of course, it's not over yet, I'll post a new chapter soon (not soon like the last time, promise, I'm still very sorry for that U_U')**

**By the way, after some more chapters I'll start to post a story that will be parallel to Crossroads, and which will lead to a future sequel. This story will have an OC as the main character, but don't panic, I swear for my name that it won't be a Mary-Sue! Also, I'll try to make the story as enjoyable as possible, even if there won't be much about the Titans. Think of it as a bridge between Crossroads and its sequel! I really hope you read it and review it, and of course I hope you like it!**

**Well, time for me to say goodbye and for you to say "NOOO DON'T LEAVE US WITH THIS CLIFFHANGER!" Don't worry, I promise I'll make up fro the wait you had to endure (if you still remember me U_U)**

**Be good!**

**Bye! ^^**

**Avy.**


	13. Author's note

**Hi again!**

**************Ok, I know this is not quite legal, but hell, almost everyone has posted an author's note as a chapter on their story, and this is important, so PLEASE READ!**

******Well, as I already said before, Crossroads will have a parallel story and a sequel, which will take place in *CENSORED FOR SPOILERS* and the Titans will *CENSORED FOR SPOILERS* so they will have to *CENSORED FOR SPOILERS* in order to *CENSORED FOR SPOILERS*, and that's why I'm going to need your help. You see, in my story there will be 7 Titans and 6 OCs (including Dude Your Awesome8's Fireian, Scarlett and Icyhandra and two more that I can't talk about). Those will be the good guys. I want to have 20 good guys in my story, so what I'd like you to do is sending me your OCs so I can use them on the story. You can do it either as a review to this "chapter" or as a PM, but I need 7 OCs so far. Why don't I create them myself? Well, it's not lazyness (I've already created more than 20 OCs for Crossroads!), it's just that I'd like you to participate and I thought it would be interesting to portrate other people's characters, so PLEASE SEND ME YOUR OCS.**

******Well, this is the information I require. Just a few warnings:**

******- I won't accept ANY Mary-Sues.**

******- OCs shouldn't have similar powers to the Titans since there are already a few OCs with this characteristic in my story.**

******Also, please don't abuse family relations, I'd rather have OCs which are not members of any Titan's family.**

******- As for love interests, while I may include crushes and so, I will respect the pairings I support, so if your OC is in love with Robin, for example, I may include that in the story, but his/her feelings won't be reciprocated as he is already with Starfire (hmmm... or maybe they'll be, it could add some drama to the story, who knows!).**

******- They don't have to be neccesarilly from Teen Titans, you can also submit OCs you're using for other cathegories as long as they have powers and they can fight. The cathegories I prefer are Teen Titans, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I won't mind if you send me a Harry Potter OC! xD**

******INFORMATION I WANT YOU TO SEND TO ME (don't worry, there's an OC example below):**

******Real name**

******Alias (if they have one, if they have a superheroe name that would be the alias)**

******Fake name (only if they're using a fake alter-ego)**

******Age**

******Birthplace**

******Powers (include also the limitations of these powers)**

******Origin (how your OC got his/her powers)**

******Physic (including outfit)**

******Personality (this is very important)**

******Love interest (only if they have one, if you want me to pair them with an OC tell me how would be the ideal OC for yours)**

******Further information (anything you want me to know about your OC or things you'd like me to do with him/her, for example, you could tell me about their family, about any secrets they may have - don't abuse this -, and about what you would like me to do with them means if you'd like them to get involved in a specific situation, for example dying - I'm not saying your OCs should die! - )**

******Here's an example of an OC submission:**

******Real name: Andrea Sánchez**

******Alias: Icyhandra**

******Fake name: None**

******Age: 20**

******Birthplace: Vigo (Galicia, Spain)**

******Powers: she can control ice, make the temperature decrease a bit, freeze water, generate ice, turn ice into an ice spear/shield (only one at a time), manipulate water (ONLY IF FIREIAN HAS PERVIOUSLY MELTED ICE GENERATED BY HER)**

******Origin: she, Fireian and Scarlett are ********Nova Homo Sapiens, like every human with natural powers (this includes most of the Titans). She has always sensed that she was different, and her powers developped little by little. A scientist who was studying Nova Homo Sapiens, called Doctor Rodríguez, helped her, Fireian and Scarlett control and develop their powers. They soon became the local superheroes, and after Scarlett departed to the U.S to be part of the Titans East, Icyhandra and Fireian decided to go too, and so they became part of that group of Titans.**

******Physic: she is short, very tanned and she has blue eyes. ********Her outfit is a white spaghetti strap shirt with blue hail like designs. Her shorts are baby blue with white squiggles, white high tops and blue fingerless glove on her left hand. Her hair is black with baby blue high lights. Most times its in a bun, or a pony tail, but when she feels like it, her hair is out and a little past her shoulders. Her right hand has an ice crystal tattoo and a fire ring on her ring finger symbolizing her boyfriend's power, Fireian. (Everything but the first sentence is a cheeky copypaste from Dude Your Awesome8's profile. I know you'll forgive me, you love me too much to stay mad at me! =D)**

******Personality: bubbly, hyper and a bit naïve. She has an enormous curiosity and she can be a bit immature and irresponsible sometimes. When it comes to important matters she sometimes hides her feelings.**

******Love interest: Fireian (L)**

******Further information: the fire ring she wears on her right hand is actually a communicator to keep in contact with Fireian. She and Scarlett have developped some kind of empathy that makes them know what the other is feeling.**

******Got it? Now don't be shy and send me your OCs, even if I don't use them (like I said, I can only pick a few ones) they will be much appreciated ^^**

******Well, start sending your PMs and reviews! See ya!**

******Avy.**


	14. Heroes

**Hi again! Following TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne's advice, I have decided to split this epic (epic because of the length) chapter into two, so here's the first part! Enjoy it ^^**

**As I promised him, I dedicate this chapter do DarkRapture for having been so nice to do the same for me with the last chapter so far of his story (which I highly recommend, BBXRAE cuteness x 1000 and a great writer, do you need to hear more?). I don't wear Rukia's hairstyle anymore for I recently got my hair cut, but it grew longer and it now looks like Yuna's (in Final Fantasy X, not X-2). Thanks a lot for the compliment anyway ^^**

**One more thing, there's another author I really, really recommend you: Llew Ifanc. He's starting to write about Teen Titans, and he REALLY rocks! His story is called The World ends with You, and don't worry about the huge amount of Ocs in the first chapter, as he said, there will be more about the Titans (specially BB and Rae!) on the next chapters, so stay tuned and read!**

**Well, as always, read and review, and don't forget to go into my profile and vote in my poll if you haven't done it yet! Oh, and keep sending me your OCs, since I may include more than just seven! And don't forget my poll, please!**

**Now, let's start with the replies for anonymous reviews:**

**The Cretin: I'm glad you liked it so far! The plot will get more complicated as the story goes on, but I hope you still like it! You still have some chapters to read before you catch up with what I've published so far, but don't worry if you do for I will update soon! =)**

**crazynerd: Thanks a lot, and yeah, I hate it when that happens, specially when they interrupt you when you were getting to the most exciting part of the story! Well, they just couldn't be mad at each other forever, could they? But don't worry, things won't be so easy for them, just wait! About Terra... Well, you're going to find out now! I hope you like this chapter! Oh and don't worry about not having OC ideas, it's ok!**

**Well, let's start the show! Oh, I forgot to say my disclaimer on the last chapter, I'll just say it now ^^U**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 12: Heroes_

"Excellent, Terra. You really deserve a good prize" Slade said evilly. The girl next to him took some time to reply.

"Are you going to free my parents now?" she said.

"Not so fast, my dear" the villain replied "I have to make sure you don't betray me... Maybe your morals could overtake you, so it's better that I make sure that doesn't happen"

"What? You promised me to free them if I took down the Titans!"

"I know, and I will free them, but know this: I will be watching them all the time, just in case you feel the urge to disobey me"

The geomancer lowered her head. At least she'd be able to keep them safe... But for how long? What if he made her destroy the city like he did last time?

Neither of them noticed two mice, a green one and a black one, stepping out of the boulder where the Titans had been smashed. They went to where Terra's parents and friends were, and suddenly, they turned into two dragons, a black one and a green one, that broke the chains with their claws and took Slade's hostages in them. The shocked man tried to stop them, but the huge boulder that had smashed his enemies rose from the floor, enveloped in dark energy, and fell just in front of him, cutting off his offensive. He turned and saw the Teen Titans, with Raven on the front using her telekinetic powers.

"How?" he whispered.

It was Robin who spoke.

"Raven used her powers to protect us with a shell of dark energy"

"Exactly" Terra said.

"Are you a part of this?" The villain formerly known as Deathstroke said, narrowing his eye menacingly.

"Thanks to Raven's telepathic link" she said triumphantly "I wasn't about to let you use me again"

The two dragons passed flying by Slade's sides, with the four scared people on their backs. Slade roared and tried to follow them, but an earth wall appeared on his way. Terra's eyes were glowing yellow.

"This time we've got you, Slade! We won't let you escape!" Robin exclaimed.

"I don't think so" the man replied. Just then, a flying robot like the one that had kidnapped Starfire appeared from the darkness and took the villain on his arms. The Titans attacked it with all they had, but their effort was fruitless; the robot had activated its shield and was now unreachable. It flew away, and though Raven and Starfire tried to follow it, the machine shot a laser that made them turn aside in order to dodge it. Slade had escaped...

"Damn it!" Robin snarled.

"At least my parents, Chloe and Molly are safe now..." Terra whispered.

The five heroes went back to the tower where the two changelings were waiting for them.

Beast Boy and Jake were talking to the four people they had just rescued, trying to calm then down and assuring them they'd be safe.

"Are you ready?" Robin asked Terra.

"Yeah... I have to tell them the truth about me"

"Tara?" a voice said.

The blond girl's mother went running to her and hugged her strongly. She returned the gesture, sobbing a little. Her father and her two friends were next.

"Well..." she began "As you can see, I'm not the girl you thought you knew... My name is Tara Markov, but also Terra, the Teen Titan... The one who betrayed them to their nemesis... But now I've decided to get back to my life as a Titan, because I know my power can protect the people, as they did with you. What I'd like to say now is... sorry"

There was a moment of silence. Then, the geomancer's father hugged her again, followed by the rest.

"Tara, we already knew..."

"What?" she gasped.

"Yes... We found your hero outfit in your room" her mother explained

"I was a fan of you as a Titan, so when I met you I was sure it was you... Some time later we asked your parents and they confirmed it" Chloe said.

The heroine couldn't believe her ears.

"But... why didn't you tell me?"

"Tara, we know what you've been through as Slade's sidekick. Anyone would want to start a new life, just like you did. We understood it, so we didn't want to make you think of that again" was Molly's answer.

The young geomancer was stunned by the news. Then did that mean that they had been pretending to not know about the horrible things she had done all along? Did they accept it just like that?

She had her eyes fixed on the floor, still trying to assimilate what she was just told.

"Why?" she whispered.

Her dear ones stared at her with inquisitive looks.

"Why did you just accept what I did? How come you didn't reject me as I deserved?"

Tara's adoptive mother caressed her cheek.

"Why wouldn't we? Tara, we know what you did is wrong, but we also know that you are a good person and that you regret everything. Everyone deserves a new chance to amend themselves, and you are no exception"

"Mom..."

She couldn't continue. She just embraced her mother strongly, crying. She returned the gesture, hushing her sweetly. All the people she had held so dear that last year joined the hug, and she finally felt the relieve she needed. She could now said she had been forgiven.

They all broke the hug, and Robin spoke.

"Listen, I've just contacted Batman. He'll come to take you to his hideout. It's the safest place I could think of. Slade won't dare attacking it, not with Batman protecting you. I don't know how much time you will have to stay there, but I promise you will be safe"

They all thanked the Boy Wonder. Batman arrived to the tower in the evening. Everybody was impressed, he was really imposing, even if he didn't have special powers. He talked to the Titans, Terra and her parents and friends, assuring them they would be safe, and then he offered Terra to go with them.

"You won't have a completely normal life, but it will be fair enough. You will be safe, and you won't have to fight all the time" he said.

She looked at Chloe, Molly and her parents, and then at the Titans.

"No" she answered "I have to stay. I want to be a hero. I want to help the Titans protect the innocent, it's the least I can do" then she walked to Batman's new proteges. "Like you" she said "I hope that if I stay, I will protect you as well"

Molly smiled to her.

"We know you will"

They all embraced one last time. Then they got into the car and went away. When it was nighttime Batman contacted the Titans to communicate them they had arrived safe and sound. Terra sighed in relieve. She knew it would be a good idea to trust the Dark Knight.

Since it was late, Robin decided to call it a day. They would all talk about the recent events the next day. And so it happened, early in the morning all Titans were up to discuss the order of the day. After all, they had lots of things to say.

"Let's start with Terra and Jake's proposal. I have an idea and I think you should all give your opinion of it. These two have proved very useful recently; Jake helped us rescue Starfire and make Beast Boy return to his human self when he was the Beast. Both of them have helped us when we had two Titans down, and they did a great job helping with Terra's family and friends' rescue. I say we give them one month to prove they are worthy of becoming true Teen Titans. What do you say?"

One by one, all the Titans spoke.

"I definitely say yes, all friends deserve some trust, and I want both of them to be my friends" Starfire stated solemnly.

"Star's right... Let's give 'em a chance" Cyborg sighed. He still didn't quite like the new guy, but he had to admit he had been useful, and as for Terra... he still considered her a friend.

"I accept, too" Raven said. Everyone seemed a bit surprised, which annoyed her a little. Couldn't she be objective? Sure she didn't like the idea of having Terra back, but she had to admit she had liked to work with her. As for the changeling, while he hadn't been perfect, he did help them, so that meant both of them deserved that month.

Beast Boy was the last to speak.

"Listen... Lately I've been a real jerk... No, I've been more than a jerk; I have been a bastard. Specially to you too. I know both of you very well and I know you're good people and that you deserve to be with us. Accepting you is the least I can do after all the shit I've done to you. I hope you can forgive me... Not only Jake and Terra, but all of you... I'm sorry"

After a moment of silence, Starfire stepped to the green teen and gave him one of her bone-crushing hugs. One by one, all the Titans joined the hug, except for Raven, who stayed apart looking at them, with a faint smile on her face. Beast Boy looked back at her and smiled. Then he ran to her and hugged her, making her blush brightly. After a moment, she returned the hug. Everyone smiled at the tender scene (except for Terra, who couldn't help huffing and rolling her eyes). When they got apart, Robin spoke again.

"Well, now let's discuss other matters. Slade is still on the run, and our cameras and tracking system are unable to locate him. I fear we won't find him until he decides to strike again. But this is not our only problem; as you saw last Saturday, Omega's goons are starting to cause trouble. We don't know what they want, we just know they have tried to kill one of us, and that they seem to be interested in Jake and Beast Boy. I don't think it's possible to sneak into their labs again, but it is important to know more about them and their motivations. I gave it some thought and came to the conclusion that they attacked the city to distract us from something"

"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked.

"I mean that, in my opinion, it's too big of a coincidence for Beast Boy to go nuts, Raven to lose her powers and for him to attack her while we weren't there"

"Are you implying that it was them who did that to us on purpose?" Raven said.

"I think so. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. Why didn't they kill the others and take Jake after defeating them? Why did they just leave? I think they are behind your loss of control. They must have done something to both of you"

"But, why? Why did they want me to hurt Raven?" Beast Boy asked.

"I think that, for some reason, they want her dead"

Starfire gasped. The others just frowned, worried.

"If I am right, we should find out why, and be aware for more attacks" the Titans' leader said.

After those words, they closed the meeting and went for some group training.

And so, the month passed by. There were the typical crimes, and the typical villains. No movement from Omega's Labs, though the whole group was ready to defend themselves. But they didn't seem to be interested in attacking them, it was like they had gone somewhere else.

The truth was that they were watching them closely...

"Look at that. Isn't it formidable?"

Omega was watching the cameras he had installed in almost every corner of the city. He was watching a Teen Titans' fight. The formidable thing he was referring to were Raven's moves when defeating Cinderblock. Alpha, who was by his side, frowned.

"So, does this mean you no longer want to kill her?"

Omega laughed.

"My dear Alice" he said. The woman in front of him flinched slightly upon hearing that name "I am sorry to tell you that I will not fulfill your bloodlust. This girl has awaken my interest. Her powers are different from anything I've seen before. Magic... I feel that it could be really useful for our organization"

"So, you want to recruit her?" Alpha inquired.

Her boss laughed again.

"I don't think so... I just want her powers, not her. By the way, have you prepared everything for the traitors' demise?"

"I have watched them closely, and I have all their papers ready. I'm sure experiment number two will find out soon."

"Good. We don't want failures in our organization"

"In a way, I understand that they have fled away… Knowing what you can do to them if they fail at an important mission"

"Would you run away from me, Alice?" Omega asked, looking at his subordinate in the eyes.

"You know I couldn't… It's not like I have any other place to go… And it's the least I can do after all the things you did for me"

Alpha's boss smiled.

"By the way, have you seen that girl, the new one?"

Alpha narrowed her eyes.

"What are you planning, Omega?"

The scientist laughed.

"Nothing, my dear Alice. I'm just adding some emotion to this"

"Do you find this funny? To play with people's feelings and pretend you're God, just like that?"

He stayed silent for a moment.

"Every human holds deep inside the desire to become a god, even if it doesn't show. I am no exception to it. All I want is to create and see how this world affects my own creations. And, who knows, maybe one day I will be able to create a whole new world… But right now all I want is to continue my investigations. Keep on watching the Titans, I have things to prepare"

Then he vanished. Alpha kept watching the multiple screens, wondering what her master was up to. In that moment, someone crossed the room.

"What are you doing here?" she spat before turning back to face Psi.

"The boss sent me a telepathic order to watch the screens. He said that you should watch me instead" she answered.

The villain broke into laughter.

Oh, that's a good one! So you're still trying to escape?" Psi didn't seem to react to Alpha's provocation. "You know, maybe I should tell Omega to erase your memory like he did to the others, you may start to become problematic"

"He thinks that you will handle that… By the way, aren't those blond roots on your hair?"

"What do you want?" Alpha growled.

"Calm down, blondie" Psi said mockingly "I'm just telling you that it's time for you to die your hair again"

The older woman touched her brown locks. The younger one smiled.

"I know what you're doing. I know that you sneak into the upper laboratory to see that statue. I know that you talk to it... You've told it very interesting things..."

Alpha slapped Psi.

"Bitch! What are you up to?"

The platinum blonde smirked while holding her sore cheek.

"Don't play the fool with me, I know Omega has told you everything about me. You know exactly what I want, and you are going to help me get it, or my tongue could slip..."

The geomancer stared at her defiantly.

"You're going to pay for this, Prudence, and I'm sure you still have things to lose..."

**TO BE CONTINUED! MWAHAHAHAHA!**

**I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter is already done and will be posted very soon, maybe tomorrow!**

**By the way, I hope these problems with updating stories that Fanfiction is having are over soon, so everyone can post some new stories!**

**Well, it's time for me to finish this chapter, so as always, please read and review, send me your OCs if you feel like it and please vote on my poll! **

**Bye-cha!**

**Avy.**


	15. Into the darkness

**Okay, first of all, sorry about a mistake I made on last chapter that I have already corrected. It has to do with the chapter's name. "Into the darkness" is the original name of the chapter, which couldn't remain the same after being divided in two, since it was named that way for the part of the chapter that follows. So last chapter, as you will see if you enter it, is called "Heroes". This one is called "Into the darkness". Sorry for the mistake U_U'**

**Second, wow! I can't believe how many Ocs I've received so far! I'm glad that you guys are being so nice to send them to me, keep doing it! And don't forget the bad guys, if you have one that you want to include! I get the feeling that Crossroads' sequel will get very interesting! ^^**

**Third, the anonymous reviews:**

**The Cretin: I was already looking forward to your review, you always seem to have something interesting to say (I know you have only reviewed my story once, but I've read other reviews of yours in other stories and I consider you a really good reviewer). I always thank some constructive criticism, it's one of the best ways to improve, so don't worry, I don't take your review as a flame. Actually, it's something that's been bothering me, since I always get the same fear of making my OCs Mary-Sues, or just not developing their personalities well, or not including them in the story in a natural way. I don't know exactly what you found wrong about Jake, but maybe it's one of those things, since I've gotten the same feeling. Hopefully I'll improve in that, I think the sequel of Crossroads, which will have so many OCs, will definitely help me. As for the rest of your review, thanks a lot, I'm really happy you liked the story so far, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing it! ^^**

**After this, I think it's time to say the disclaimer and start with the chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or their theme song. But I own the **_**Quartz, **_**u jelly? *does the trollface dance, then runs for cover***

_Chapter 13: Into the darkness_

"Great job, guys" Robin congratulated.

The Teen Titans had just defeated Cinderblock and put the man inside him to sleep again, and after handing him to the police, they had gone back to the T-tower for a well-deserved shower, and now they were all reunited in the common room. It had been exactly one month since the beginning of Terra and Jake's trial, so it was time to decide if they were worthy of officially becoming heroes.

The first to speak was, as usual, the Titan's leader.

"Terra and Jake, you have been living, training and fighting with us for a whole month. Now it is time for us to decide whether you you should stay or not. I have watched you closely through this period, I have seen your strong and weak points, I have seen how you have improved your fight technique, and I have seen you helping the team in some difficult situations and showing you were loyal and trustworthy. In other words; you have proven your value. I say that, while I would always demand the same good results you've been showing, I say that you deserve to stay. Let's hear what the others think of this"

Beast Boy stood up first and spoke.

"As I said one month ago, these two people are two of the best friends I've ever had, and even if I've had my problems with them, I've known for some time that I can trust them, and after fighting by their side I can assure I would trust them my own life"

Both of the candidates smiled brightly at him, and the boy sat down. After that, Starfire stood up to take her turn.

"I have always wanted to accept our two friends, despite all the things that happened and all the difficulties. Now, after one month fighting together side by side, I can honestly say that both are true warriors, something that I, as a Tamaranean, wouldn't say about everyone. Besides, you have proved to be trustworthy, as our two friends said before. I am not going to be the one who contradicts them"

Once she was done with her speech, she sat down again, allowing the next Titan to stand up and speak. This was Cyborg.

Through that month, his relationship with Jake had improved. Their reciprocal distrust slowly turned into friendly rivalry, so they didn't see each other as a threat no more.

"Well, I gotta admit that you two aren't half bad, maybe if you stay you'll get even better. As long as you don't go nuts, I have no problem with you being here"

Terra and Jake laughed a bit, and the older Titan sat down again.

It was turn for Raven to speak.

Everyone was looking at her. She felt the same uncomfortable feeling she had had one month ago. She had also sensed her companions' feelings of doubt and worry, and it made her feel a bit annoyed. What did they take her for, some kind of witch who would only act guided by jealousy? She had nothing against Jake, everybody agreed in this point, but with Terra... Of course she didn't like the girl, how could she, after all the things that happened between them? Not to mention that during her trial, the blonde had taken every chance she could to flirt with Beast Boy and keeping him from getting close to the empath, so tension was rising more and more. But that didn't mean that she would reject her in the team, not after having proved her value for a whole month, with lots of chances to betray them, and mainly because _she had been in her mind,_ for Azar's sake!

Although these burning thoughts were crossing her mind, her face was still as stoic and serene as ever, as it was her voice when she spoke.

"I agree with all of you, although you may not believe me. I am quite capable of being objective, and that's what I've been with them all this month. My conclusion is the same as yours: I think we should accept them, but I also agree with Robin that from now on, they must show the same good results that they have had"

No one spoke for a while. The girl sat down in silence. She looked left and saw Beast Boy, silently smiling at her and mouthing a "Thank you".

"_I'm happy that you two are going to be okay, I wouldn't like to see you fighting again..." _he said through their telepathic link.

"_Well, I'm not sure about how things are going to be like, it pretty much depends on her attitude..."_

Their conversation got interrupted by the Boy Wonder's voice.

"So, I think there's an agreement here. Terra and Jake, come over here to receive your official communicators"

The two friends went to their leader, and he handed him two yellow communicators (the ones they had been using were brown, symbolizing they were temporal members). Now they were official Teen Titans. Then they shook hands with Robin, and then with each other. They had grown closer through that month, since they had been helping each other so both could become Titans, so in the end they became friends, not specially close friends, but still good friends.

"Well" Cyborg said "I guess it's time to celebrate, don't you think so?"

Robin frowned.

"I don't think it would be a good idea... We don't know what Keller Labs is up to, and the same goes for Slade. I think we should still watch for them"

"Rob" Beast Boy replied "We haven't found out anything yet, and if we start to obsess over it I'm sure we never will. I think what we need is a day off, well, in this case a night off, so we can relax a bit. Cy's right, I'm sure we deserve some celebration, and after it we'll think more clearly"

Starfire smiled and nodded at her boyfriend. He lowered his head a bit, thinking about the two friends' suggestions.

"Alright, maybe this could help us. Well, Titans, what's the plan?"

Everybody started suggesting places until they decided to go to a disco-pub in downtown; the _Quartz. _They changed into civilian clothes and got out, Robin and Starfire on his motorbike, and Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Terra and Jake on the T-car.

The _Quartz _had a parking lot outside where they could park their vehicles. Once they were inside, they searched for a table to sit down. Raven looked at Robin, wondering how he had managed to ride his motorbike with the sunglasses on.

Once they were at a table, they enjoyed the place, their drinks (as always, non-alcoholic drinks), the ambiance and the music. The _Quartz _had a stage where local music bands played their songs. A new local rock band, _Féeperverse, _was playing. They were quite good.

"Look what we have here" the singer said through the microphone "The Teen Titans! Hey, guys, this song is for you!"

The rock band started playing a new song that everybody recognized as the Titans' theme song.

"_When there's trouble you know who to call... TEEN TITANS!"_

The whole place started getting up and going near the stage to dance, jump and sing along. Beast Boy started to feel weird. Although the noise hurt his sensitive ears, he loved parties. But there was something... odd about this one. There was something out of place, something that he could not grasp, at least not with all that noise!

Someone poked his shoulder. It was Terra.

"Hey, BB, do you dance?"

She was smiling a bit awkwardly, with Raven behind her, giving her a death glare. The changeling could sense an imminent cat fight, and he was already feeling dizzy enough to have to endure an argument between the two rivals. Of course, the boy was completely oblivious to the reason of the two girls' rivalry, he thought they just didn't like/trust/stand each other. He was still trying to grasp that weird feeling and dancing wouldn't let him do so, specially if he was about to dance to extremely loud music.

"No, thanks. I think I'll stay here, I'm not feeling very well and I need some relax..."

"Oh... Okay" the girl replied, a hint of sadness on her face. The empath behind her couldn't help a triumphant smile.

It was then that Beast Boy noticed Terra's mood.

"But... maybe we could dance later!" he hurriedly added. The blonde smiled brightly at him, and the violet-haired girl behind her fumed.

"Now don't forget it, you owe me one dance!" the geomancer said cheerfully while turning round to go to the stage with the others. Raven crossed her arms and glared at her as she passed by. She then sat down next to Beast Boy.

"Why don't you go with them?" he asked her.

"Why don't _you_ go with _her?"_ she replied, the smallest hint of jealousy covering her voice.

"I'd rather stay here. There's something... that is not ok, I don't know what, and I want to figure out what it is... Did you sense anything strange?"

"No... I always scan all the places I go to and I have felt nothing unusual... Gar, maybe you just need some rest. We could... go out for a walk if you feel like it?"

By this point the Azarathean's face was completely red, something that escaped to the changeling, since his mind was somewhere else. The song _Féeperverse _had been playing was over, and they were about to start playing a new one. It was in that moment of relative silence (less noise, actually) that Beast Boy heard it.

In a corner of the place there were two people talking quietly, a man and a woman. The man looked strangely familiar to him. Where had he seen that man before?

Then it hit him.

It was Yvan Psilon, the guy who had asked him for an autograph in the park that day! Now he knew what was wrong. The boy had mentioned being from Gotham, then what was he doing in Jump City?

For a moment, the green teen felt stupid for giving so much importance to that, many people went to Jump City on the weekends, and knowing he was a fan of the Titans, it wasn't so illogical for him to go there to visit his admired heroes.

This reasoning was soon discarded.

Yvan Psilon and the woman beside him got up hurriedly and left the pub. They seemed to avoid passing near the stage or Beast Boy and Raven's table. That didn't make sense. Yvan's whole behavior didn't make sense. If he admired the Teen Titans so much, specially Beast Boy, why wouldn't he try and approach him? Why would he avoid him? Because he _had _avoided him, the young hero noticed it from the trajectory his fan followed in order to leave the building. This was getting so suspicious that he felt that he had to investigate it. That walk with Raven started to seem like a very good idea.

"Uh... Gar? Have you heard me?"

The girl's voice brought Garfield back to reality.

"Uh... sure, let's go"

They took their jackets and went out of the _Quartz. _Beast Boy heard the other couple's voices although they already were at the corner of the street. The changeling took his friend's hand (making her blush noticeably) and started following them, trying to be discrete.

He could now hear clearly what they were saying, even if his partner couldn't.

"Where are we going, Yvan?"

"We have to get out of here, fast!"

"And where are we going to go? You know Omega will find us eventually!"

"Tanya, listen to me. He's not going to find us. We will go somewhere he cannot reach, a place with no Keller Labs. You could even use your power to make us invulnerable to his"

"I'm not sure if I could do that... I mean, we're talking about neutralizing his powers!"

"Only when he's trying to use them with us, I'm sure you can do it!"

"I'm not sure... You already know what he thinks of failures... And both of us have failed. We failed to make Experiment number two kill the psychic"

Beast Boy stopped on his tracks, ignoring Raven's questions about where they were going and what were they going to do. He couldn't believe what he just heard!

"We did what we were expected to do, you succeeded at neutralizing the psychic's powers and I succeeded at manipulating Experiment number two's mood by infusing him psychotic fury! It was them who screwed it all, not us!"

"Omega doesn't think that way. In his opinion, if we had been competent enough, the girl would have been killed no matter what"

"And now he wants to make us pay... Well, I won't let him do that to us!"

He heard them walk faster. He still didn't move. The same rage he had felt that day, when he almost kill Raven, was rising again. Those people were the ones who had made him do that...

"Raven, go back to the pub. There's something I must do"

"Are you ok? You are... enraged" she said worridly.

"It's alright... Just go, I will be okay. I... need some alone time"

"I'll leave our telepathic link open just in case you need something" the girl said while creating a dark energy vortex "Take care, Gar" she said before disappearing.

Beast Boy sighed.

"I'm sorry, Raven"

Thoughts of rage and revenge filled his mind. He started whispering to him, telling him what to do. He couldn't let those two escape, they were too dangerous. What if they made him hurt Raven again? What if they made him do something horrible? Besides, what they had already made him do was terrible, and they deserved revenge for it.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had become one with the Beast once more.

At the same time, Raven arrived to the _Quartz._ She went with the others, trying to enjoy her time there, and failing completely. Suddenly, her telepathic link with Beast Boy got cut. She couldn't sense anything from him anymore. He had blocked her.

She ran to Robin, who was dancing with Starfire. They immediately stopped when they saw her expression.

"We've got trouble!"

His sense of smell guided him. They had taken a car and were now driving at full speed. It didn't matter, he could get them. He knew they were going to the nearest way out of Jump City, and he could take a shortcut.

Ypsilon and Tau, also known as Yvan Psilon and Tanya Usher, were driving fast to reach the limits of Jump City.

"We will probably have to get out of the country, maybe we could head to Mexico and take a ferry, steal a boat or something..."

"I still think this is crazy..." Tau said.

"Yes, but it's our only way out"

"Wait... What's that?"

Ypsilon stopped the car just in time to avoid hitting the enormous criature in front of it. It was green, furry and horrifying, and it seemed angry.

"Experiment number two..." Tau gasped.

"What is he doing here?" her partner asked, as if waiting a response from the monstrous being.

He didn't answer with words, but with claws. He started ripping off the front of the car. Tau and Ypsilon tried to escape, but the Beast jumped and cut off their retreat. He growled at them, silently communicating the message of revenge that he wanted to transmit. But it wasn't enough for him. He needed to make them pay.

The Beast started to run. Everything went red... He heard screams, but he ignored them. All he did was cut and rip off and scratch and bite, feeling the smell and taste of fresh blood and ripped flesh. Bones were broken, members were torn apart, and screams of horror and pain were voiced by his victims. Life was, eventually, taken from them by his might. He had finally had his revenge.

Then Beast Boy woke up.

"What have I done?" he asked in horror to no one, gazing at the two corpses, mutilated beyond recognition.

The Teen Titans were looking for their missing friend, scanning the whole city at the same time. Each one of them searched through one section of the city: Robin was driving his motorbike around the city center, where the _Quartz _most of the pubs in Jump City were, Cyborg had headed North with the T-car, Jake had morphed into an eagle and was at the Eastern part of Jump City, where the port was, Terra was flying on a boulder towards the Teen Titans island, to see if Beast Boy just felt bad and decided to go back to the tower, Starfire was flying over the western part of the city, and Raven was checking the South, also flying. She had arrived to the road that led to the way out of Jump, and she was about to turn round when she saw it.

"Everyone" she said, unable to hide the horror in her voice "You should come and see this. I think... I think the Beast has killed two people"

**THE END! DUN DUN DUN DUN!**

**OH, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT? Then stay tuned for the next chapter of Crossroads, which will be a double chapter! Yeah, you read well, double chapter, because both me and Dude Your Awesome8 will write it! So there will be two versions of the chapter, you can read whichever you prefer, but I recommend to read (and review *nudge nudge*) both!**

**I hope to update again soon (if Fanfiction doesn't go even crazier, that is -_-) If you send me some tuna sandwiches I may update faster :3 (mwahaha, aren't I evil itself?) TUNA, I LOVE TUNAAAA (LOL what am I saying?)**

**I'd better finish this so I can post it! Bye!**

**Avy.**


	16. I will always find you

**First of all sorry for the delay. I couldn't write a word for being in the middle of my final exams T_T which I hope they turned out okay. For the moment I have passed everything, but one subject. Let's see if I can keep it up! XD**

**Okay, enough about me, how have you all been? Well, I know you're not going to answer right away. I just hope you haven't given up on reading me (which I probably deserve U_U) If you did I'll try my best to bring all you back!**

**Ok, now let's start with anonymous reviews!**

**The Cretin: Now I can officially say that your reviews make my day. You encourage me a lot, and don't worry, you have never annoyed me or hurt me, all the contrary, your criticism is so constructive that I always learn something new from your reviews. Don't be afraid of spotting mistakes, I don't consider it a flame but some really good help (for example with the Plasmus/Cinderblock thing... oops, definitely I should get some more sleep U_U), so it's really welcomed that you do so. I'm glad that you like Jake, I really hope to develop him more as the story goes on. And yeah, I'm from the north-west of Spain, Galicia, and I've never been to Toledo but I understand that you want to go, it's one of the most important historical cities in the country! Oh, and don't worry, even if someone starts to flame me, I won't give up on this story. No one has the right to flame, I won't allow that, criticism must always be constructive. So once again, thank you for your words of praise, they mean a lot to me, really, I'm not too much as a writer but I do try to improve, and what you've told me encourages me to go on. And I will go on, you can count on that. Thanks too for your other reviews, it makes me happy to see that people get interested in my other works! ^^ So once again, thank you, and see you on the next chapter, I hope you like this one!**

**Enough ranting for now! Let's get on with the story! Always read and review! Please tell me what you thought. I really hope you like it.**

**IMPORTANT: Don't forget to;**

**-Keep sending me your OCs (both heroes and villains)**

**-Vote on my poll if you haven't already**

**-Send me some cookies**

**-Enjoy!**

**The beginning is by an old Teen Titans writer (well, not really old, but she stopped writing for a while now) DudeYourAwesome8! Some of you may know her from her own stories and she tried her best on writing this chapter which she hopes you will like because she thinks she can't write for Teen Titans anymore! WE MUST TELL MY DAUGHTER (not really I just treat her like one) THAT SHE STILL ROCKS!**

* * *

_Chapter 14: I will always find you_

Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Terra, Jake and Raven still couldn't believe what they were seeing. There was no way on Earth those two people were dead, but Raven checked almost five times, confirming that they were really dead – there was no heartbeat or pulse. The Titans tried their best to move them out of public view, so the press wouldn't be all over them.

"Titans, this is it," Robin shook his head as his arm was crossed over his chest.

"W-What, Robin?" Starfire moved her hand away from her mouth to ask the leader.

"Beast Boy **KILLED** two innocent people!" Robin yelled, throwing his hands out to the limp bodies.

"He didn't do it on purpose," Raven said, stepping in as no one would have Beast Boy's back. Not even Terra or Jake were able to form words.

"And how do you know that?" Robin asked.

"It's Beast Boy we're talking about here! He wouldn't dare hurt a fly rather than two people," Raven said, stepping in front of Robin to stand face to face.

"Well, he's a dangerous man now and needs to be captured and sent to jail," Robin made up his mind without taking a second chance to think it over.

"You can't be serious," Raven, lightly shaking her head.

"I've never been more serious," Robin commented as he pushed Raven aside. "Starfire, Terra, Jake, Cyborg - it's time we find Beast Boy and send him to jail for the crime he's committed."

"Robin!" Raven yelled, trying to stand back in front of him, but Robin only moved to a different spot.

Raven didn't want to put up with that nonsense, so with a flick of her wrist, a pain shot through Robin's head and he threw his hands to his head before seeing Raven walking away.

"Raven!" Robin called after his little sister. "Where are you going?"

"Please," Raven said, turning around. She took out her black and yellow communicator she kept in her blue boot and threw it at Robin. "When you accept Beast Boy back into the family, then call me."

Raven started to float away, not believing what had just happened. How could Robin be so heartless? There was a reason behind Beast Boy's action, and she was going to find out what it was.

"Raven!" Robin kept calling as he saw her fly away. "How am I supposed to call you if you don't have your communicator and cut the telepathic link?"

"Shall I fly after her?" Starfire asked, already started to float in the air so she could be ready when Robin gave her the word.

"No, forget it," Robin grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"I think I should go with her," Terra said as her hands started to glow yellow so she could form a rock when wanting to.

"No," Robin stopped her. "Your orders are to stay here, and same thing goes for you, Jake." Jake threw his hands up in the air, showing the leader he's not going anywhere and Terra's hand turned back to their normal tan color.

"But we can't stand here all day while my best friend's out there somewhere probably needing help," Cyborg finally found his voice and talked. "What if he's in trouble?"

"Beast Boy is our friend," Starfire said, placing a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Yeah, and he's like my brother, so we need to find him, Robin," Jake added.

"Not to mention **OUR** little brother," Cyborg also said.

"I didn't deny he was," Robin said, "But he-"

"Killed two people, we know," Terra, Cyborg, Starfire and Jake finished together.

"But we all had a reason on why we did something," Terra said, "And that's must be Beast Boy's case – there was a reason."

Robin threw a hand to his eyes and sighed. There was no way he was going to win against his family. "Alright, fine, let's find Beast Boy and see his side of his story," Robin decided. "Let's split up and and head out."

And without another word, everyone jumped to different directions to find their green friend.

When everyone left the two bodies lying on the grass, a white flower appeared near the two heads, glowing bright.

* * *

Raven didn't stop flying. She moved from one spot to another, looking as fast as she could for Beast Boy. She hoped the others didn't find him first or else there would be no way she could ever talk to Beast Boy. She regretted not talking to him before. If she did, maybe right now things would be easier.

Raven dropped to the floor on her knees, finally giving up. She pretty much looked throughout the entire Jump City and it wasn't easy. Raven felt so nervous and so scared, worrying about Beast Boy. She wasn't able to tell him anything she wanted to and now it was too late...

Raven brought her legs up to her chest and rest her head on them, covering her face from the dark world she thought she called her home, but now she was only able to call it her nightmare.

_I dreamed I was missing  
You were so scared  
But no one would listen  
'Cause no one else cared_

It was then when Raven was about to leave when she saw a shadow behind her run aside. Normally she would have gotten up and went into defense mode, but since her head was filled with nothing but Beast Boy she just stayed on the ground and looked around, trying to see if she could see what ran past her.

_After my dreaming  
I woke with this fear  
What am I leaving  
When I'm done here?_

"Hello?" Raven's voice shook as she slowly got up from the ground knowing she couldn't wait all day. She needed to find Beast Boy before the Titans did. Maybe this was a street cat or something she was frightened by. The only way to find out was to meet it, face it. "Who's there?"

There was more noise before the shadow ran again behind Raven and she turned around.

"_Leave."_ The voice whispered in the air. _"Just go."_

"No," Raven stomped her feet on the ground. "Not until you show your face."

The person ran from one corner to the next, ignoring Raven.

"_Leave me alone."_

"Just tell me who you are and I'll leave."

_So if you're asking me  
I want you to know_

Raven slowly took a step towards the boxes against the building. There was something moving behind the stack and Raven could sense someone was behind there. Her hands started glowing her black aura as she took a step closer until she got right in front of the boxes and shot them away, gasping at the results.

_When my time comes  
Forget the wrong that I've done_

"Beast Boy?" Raven whispered when her eyes met Beast Boy's. His grew wide before he forced himself up from the ground and ran. "Beast Boy!" Raven screamed, running after him. "Wait!"

Beast Boy didn't think about changing into an animal and flying away faster nor did Raven use her powers to fly overhead. The two just stuck with running on foot around corners, allies, jumping over fences up until Beast Boy took a wrong turn in a new ally and met with a wall.

Dead End.

"Beast Boy!"

His emerald eyes turned around to look at the girl and thoughts of emotions ran out of his eyes and into Raven where she felt hurt, dishonor, fear, regret, and desperation to get out of his current situation.

Beast Boy turned around, spreading his arms out to finally turn into a bird type animal and fly out, but Raven used her bubble to trap Beast Boy, so there was no way for him to escape.

_Help me leave behind some  
Reasons to be missed_

"Let me go!" Beast Boy shrieked, slamming his hands against the bubble. "I'm a criminal! I need to leave!" He started sobbing, falling on his knees with his head lowered. "I...k-k-killed...two-"

"Beast Boy, **PLEASE**," Raven urged, slowly stepping towards her floating bubble in case Beast Boy did something, but knowing the state that he was in; what **WOULD** he do?

_And don't resent me_

Raven finally got to the bubble in one piece and she looked inside, "I just want to help."

"Help how?" Beast Boy's head shot up and Raven flinched. There were still tears running down his face and his voice was shakier then ever. "By sending me to jail? Yeah, no thanks! Just let me stay here to rot and die on my own. You should listen to Robin. I heard everything through my communicator."

_And when you're feeling empty_

"Please, I'm here to help," Raven whispered, placing a hand on the bubble for Beast Boy to reach out to. "I'm not going to turn you in. I'm your **FRIEND**, Beast Boy, and friends don't turn friends in."

"Then why are the others after me, huh?" Beast Boy demanded to know.

"Because Robin thinks you should go to jail, but not me," Raven honestly answered. "I want to help you. I know you're not the type of person who should be turned in. Somehow you did the right thing and ended up not being able to control yourself."

Beast Boy turned his back on Raven and kept his head lower. Raven didn't give up, however; she kept talking.

"Let me help, Beast Boy. Tell me what happened. I'll support you no matter what for I'm **YOUR FRIEND**."

"Raven," Beast Boy whispered, interrupting her speech. "I **KILLED** people. That should make you run **AWAY** from me, not help me."

"I don't **CARE** what you did," Raven stopped her foot on the ground in frustration. "You did it for a reason. I'll find answers to prove you're innocent and even if that means I have to become an enemy to the Teen Titans."

Beast Boy turned around, looking at Raven who showed clearly that she was telling the truth.

_Keep me in your memory_

"You would do that...for me?" Beast Boy asked and Raven nodded her head, letting him out of the aura bubble.

"Of course I would do it," Raven said, standing close to the still fragile Beast Boy. "And I won't rest until I clear your name."

"But, Raven, why would you help someone who **KILLED**-" Beast Boy asked again, but Raven smacked her hand on Beast Boy's mouth to stop him from talking anymore.

_Leave out all the rest_

"Beast Boy," Raven whispered. "Put a sock in it." And without hesitating she finally kissed the green elf with every ounce in her body. She didn't listen to her thoughts who told her not to, nor her emotions that kept shouting different outcomes – only her heart which Beast Boy always told her to follow.

_Leave out all the rest_

"Now will you answer my question from before," Raven said, cutting the kiss short and running her hands over his body to find anything broken.

_Don't be afraid_

"Hanging out," Beast Boy nervously chuckled, hugging himself as he felt Raven's cold hands over his body. "You rubbed off on me, Rae, I kinda love the dark now."

_I've taken my beating,_

_I've shared what I made_

"This is no time for jokes," Raven lightly smacked Beast Boy's arm and he hissed in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry."

_I'm strong on the surface_

_Not all the way through_

Beast Boy chuckled, leaning his forehead against Raven's. "You're an amazing woman."

_I've never been perfect,_

_But neither have you_

"An amazing woman who's going to do what she can to stop Robin from taking you away," Raven added, hugging Beast Boy before they were interrupted by a white light.

_So if you're asking me I want you to know..._

The two broke away from their hug to cover their eyes from the blinding light.

"Raven? Beast Boy?"

Raven lowered her arms and squinted her eyes to see who was standing on the other side of them and she gasped. Her hands curled into fists and she jumped in front of Beast Boy, stretching her arms out to her side to cover him.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done_

_Help me leave behind some _

_Reasons to be missed_

"Robin, you will come no where **NEAR** Beast Boy, you understand?" Raven yelled to the Titans's Team Leader.

_And don't resent me_

_And when you're feeling empty _

_Keep me in your memory_

_Leave out all the rest_

_Leave out all the rest_

"Raven, please, just listen out," Robin said, walking towards the two, but he couldn't finish his sentence for a cloud of gray smoke appeared in the middle of him and Raven.

"Actually you all must listen to me."

_Forgetting all the hurt inside you learnt to hide so well_

_Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself_

_I can't be who you are..._

"Omega!" Robin yelled. "What do you want?"

"I actually have some news to share," Omega took a few steps towards Raven and Beast Boy.

"Yeah, well, what do you want?" Raven questioned. "We've had it with you!"

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," Omega sighed, shaking his head at these 'heroes.' "I have disintegrated the two bodies Beast Boy destroyed and eliminated any proof of their existence."

Beast Boy stepped around Raven and she grabbed his hand in case he did anything that he would regret again. "Why would you do that?"

Omega tied his hands around his back as he took a step forward towards Beast Boy. "Because they deserved it since they were **FAILURES**. And not only that... They tried to betray me, and I don't allow something like that from my workers"

"Why you!" Robin and Beast Boy screamed together, running up to Omega, but he created a barrier.

"You should consider it a gift, Beast Boy," Omega said behind the barrier. "Keep in touch." and with those words he disappeared along with the barriers.

The three waved a hand in the air to clear the smoke from their lungs before Robin ran up to Raven and Beast Boy.

"Are you two okay?" Robin asked, placing a hand on both of their shoulders.

"Robin, before you do anything I just want to say how sorry I am. I don't care if I have to go to jail-"

"Beast Boy!" Raven yelled, but he shushed her and continued on.

"I just want you to know that I'm sorry for messing up the team," Beast Boy finished and Raven sighed.

Robin didn't know what to say. He didn't even think Beast Boy would apologize or agree to go to jail like he planned.

"Robin, don't you dare do anything!"

Robin turned around and saw Starfire, Cyborg and Jake standing near the ally opening. They ran over and covered their two friends.

"Please, do not send them to the jail!" Starfire yelled, her eyes glowing green from anger.

"Yeah, if you take them away you're going to have to take us too," Jake added.

"And if you kick them off the team then we're going to have to do some damage to you," Cyborg also added and Robin shook his head and placed a hand on his forehead.

"No one is going to jail or being kicked off the team," Robin said, waving his hands in the air in an X. "Even though this is all wrong," Robin looked at Beast Boy's whose ears fell. "Beast Boy's our friend." His ears popped right back up when hearing Robin's words. "Besides, we can't take him to court now that there's no proof."

Raven was the first one to jump up to give Robin a hug. Cyborg, Starfire and Jake joined. Robin shooed them away. "Now, can we go home and think about what to do next? I'll call Terra to meet us there. You guys go back to the T-Car."

Starfire, Cyborg and Jake started walking out until Beast Boy cleared his throat to stop everyone from doing what they were.

"You guys go ahead," He waved at them. "Raven and I are going to stay back for a while. We'll catch up with you later."

"If you say so," Cyborg shrugged his shoulders and he continued walking.

"Please, friend Beast Boy, do not do anymore kicking of the butt tonight," Starfire warned and Jake nodded his head in agreement.

"Don't worry. I think I had enough for tonight."

"Meet us at the Tower when you're done," Robin ordered and the four left.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done_

_Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed_

"Well..." Beast Boy started "I guess it's time for questions"

"If you want to, we could leave it for tomorrow. You could use some rest" Raven answered.

"Actually, I wasn't talking about that... What I'd like to know now is... Why did you kiss me?"

_And don't resent me_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory_

_Leave out all the rest_

"Well..." The young empath blushed.

"Yes?" her companion said in a whisper.

_Leave out all the rest_

"I just... felt that I _had _to do it... I thought... I thought I would never get that chance again... Oh, well, it's not like I'm getting it"

"What!"

Raven covered her mouth, her face even redder than before.

"Oh, shit..."

"What's this all about, Rae? What did you mean? You're swearing, so that means this is serious!"

"No... This wasn't supposed to go this way..." she drew some breath "Alright, I'll tell you... You know, for some time... Actually quite a lot of time... I've had feelings for you, you know... Romantic... feelings... So..."

She was feeling more and more awkward. Why did she have to embarrass herself to that point, in which she could barely make out a single word? This wasn't like her! She did want to tell him about her feelings, but not _that_ way... Nothing had gone as she had planned.

"Really?" the green teen asked, his eyes wide open and full of interest and... longing?

Raven took a deep breath before answering.

"Yes... I think I could say I love you..."

He looked at her for a while, not knowing what to say. Could this all be just a horrible nightmare that had ended up as one of his best dreams. But that kiss, the sound of the girl's voice... Everything was so real...

"Uh... Could you pinch me?"

"What?"

The boy laughed nervously.

"I'd just like to make sure I'm not dreaming"

The Azarathean smiled with her eyebrows raised in slight surprise. He would always amaze her. She obliged, softly, causing him to protest jokingly.

"Okay... Now I know I can say that... I feel the same, Rae. I love you too..."

The smile of the girl grew wider than ever. He thought she looked way better that way, so happy...

"Remember, Gar... No matter how many times you get lost, I will always find you..."

No more words were needed. The two lovers leaned in, not caring about everything that had happened and everything that was about to happen. They just wanted to enjoy those moments they had left to express their feelings to each other. It was a soft, loving kiss, a kiss that sealed one of the most important moments of their lives, that kiss that started a new life for them...

_Forgetting all the hurt inside you learnt to hide so well_

_Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself_

_I can't be who you are_

_I can't be who you are..._

And so, they broke their junction, still lost in each other. They were looking at each other's eyes, memorizing every detail... But the peace didn't last.

"BB, finally! I thought I'd never... RAVEN, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

"Terra!" they both excaimed.

**TO BE CONTINUED, MWAHAHAHA!**

**Well? What did you think of this chapter? I hope Raven and BB's confession wasn't too forced... I wanted it to sound natural and not OoC, which I really pray it wasn't! Sorry for this chapter being so late, I couldn't get on Fanfiction until I finished everything related to classes. Ugh, July sucks! By the way, I take no credit for this, since it has been written, almost entirely, by Dude Your Awesome8, it's her you have to say it was awesome! She made this fic awesome, as everything she does! I hope she starts writing again soon!**

**As usual, I hope you liked this chapter, and that you review it! I'll be writing the next one soon, or so I hope since now I finally have some free time!**

**Well, it's time for me to say goodbye. I'll be seeing you (really, I have a Palantir so I can see everything you're doing, so you better be good!).**

**See you!**

**Avy.**


	17. Mud I mean CAT FIGHT!

**I am back after a long time off. I will try to update regularly, but I can't really promise anything, though I have decided to have a more strict routine for all my activities, not only writing fics.**

**There's something more I want to do: I have to thank again Dude Your Awesome8 if I didn't already, last chapter rocked thanks to you girl, I hope you are able to write more Teen Titans fics soon! =)**

**Now, something else: the anonymous reviews!**

**The Cretin: Thanks a lot. I don't know if you're still around, but I hope you can forgive my lateness, and that you keep on with my story. I would like to go to Toledo too, I'm a bit ashamed to say it but I've never been there. If you like cities with a medieval taste, I highly recommend Santiago de Compostela too. I used to go there a lot as a kid because my orthodontist is there, and by the end of last summer I stayed there for the weekend and it was pure magic. I don't know your age, though, so in case you're in your twenties I'd advise you to go by Autumn, Winter or Spring, but not in Summer Holidays, since it gets empty while during the rest of the year it's a very lively city with a lot of university students from many places in Galicia. Anyway, I hope you can visit Toledo soon. And I will gladly welcome your OCs, though I have noticed (I'm a bit of a slow poke) that posting them on reviews could mean spoilers for people who read them, so if you could create a Fanfiction account, even if you don't use it for writing, and send me your OCs by PM, I would be most grateful. Thanks again and regards from Vigo! And don't forget to be happy!**

**anon random: I did like your OC and it's already in my list. I find his plot twist really interesting. Thank you, and I hope you're still reading me!**

**Random anon: I get the feel you're the same person as above LOL Thanks a lot, I hope you enjoy this chapter too! Geez, you've made me blush!**

**Well, let's get with the story! I hope you like it! As usual, read and review, please, and if you have time vote on my pole! I'm still taking OCs, so if you want to submit yours I'll welcome them gladly, specially if you have some bad guys (I still take heroes though). Remember that they can be from other universes than Teen Titans', so if you have Final Fantasy or Harry Potter OCs, you can send them too =)**

**I forgot on the last chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or the song _Leave Out All The Rest_ by Linkin Park (yup, the songfic everybody wanted and I didn't even announce it, I'm just that cool U_U), neither do I own _Someone Like You _by my glorious muse Adele. That song is a last time add-on, so it was quite a lot since I started this chapter. I hope it never happens again.**

**I better let you read, but not before asking you to check the author's note by the end of the chapter once you're done with your reading. It's very important that you read it. Enjoy!**

_Chapter 15: Mud... I mean CAT FIGHT!_

The couple were staring at the blond geomancer in surprise. She looked quite angry.

"Taking advantage of the situation, huh? Leave BB alone, you freak!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't take advantage of Gar, I was just helping him out, something that I see you didn't even bother doing" was Raven's reply. She was full of being diplomatic, Terra had declared war to her and she wasn't going to run away from that.

The empath's comment had hurt the former traitor. From the beginning, she had had the intention of finding Beast Boy and leaving with him, escaping from the others together. But that damned witch had to ruin everything...

"So treating him sweetly and lovingly when he's feeling weak so you can have it easier to kiss him isn't taking advantage of somebody? Don't try to fool me, Raven, I know a bit of psychology, so since you are an empath you have to know too that, the more vulnerable a person is, the easier that person is to manipulate"

"Are you trying to imply that I was manipulating Gar's feelings?" the violet-haired girl asked, narrowing her eyes in a poisonous look.

"I'm not trying to imply anything, I'm clearly saying that you are a manipulative witch!" the other girl snarled "BB, don't trust her, she's just using you!" her expression softened "No one, NO ONE will ever love you as I do..."

"Awww, isn't that sweet" the cloaked heroine said in a sarcastic voice "Saying something like that isn't manipulating either, right Terra?"

The teen in question glared, her blue eyes becoming yellow.

"You're playing with fire, Rae-Rae, you better be careful..."

"And you better not call me _that _again, just for your own sake" the half-demon replied, her violet eyes also changing their color into red.

"What can't I call you? _Rae-Rae?_"

"Uh... dudettes?" a visibly fearful Beast Boy said "Could we leave this argument that will only lead to chaos and just... be happy? Hey, I know! Let's have some pizza, the three of us together! I invite! What do you say?"

"Keep on like that and I swear I'm going to..." PLASH!

Raven stood there, with her eyes open wide, trying to take in what had just happened. Terra's lips were curved into an evil smile. The empath slowly raised her hand to wipe away the mud ball that the geomancer had thrown to her, impacting on her face, covering it with dirt.

"Oooh, don't wipe it out, you look much better with it, it covers your demon face... UGH!" she was silenced by a mud ball enveloped in dark energy which hit her mouth.

"And you look better with your mouth shut, no dirt can get out from it" the Azarathean said, smirking.

The blonde roared and raised an even bigger amount of mud from the floor, throwing it at her rival, who dodged it.

"Ha! Is that the best you can do? And you call yourself a geomancer!" saying that, she raised a lot of small balls of mud, aiming them at Terra. She couldn't evade all of them and ended up covered with dirt. Her yellow eyes glowed fiercely while she raised a barrier before her, so Raven's dirt couldn't reach her. The barrier slowly disintegrated in balls that attacked the blue-clad teen, getting her dirty and more angry; her red eyes had already split into four.

By this point, the poor changeling over whom the two young women were fighting was terrified. He had to hide behind some boxes to avoid being caught in the crossfire. He didn't know what to do or what to say, since none of the girls seemed willing to listen to him. They were too concentrated on trying to finish the other one by filling her with mud. He didn't like where things were heading.

Garfield's eyes opened in utter horror when he saw what the two rivals were about to do; they both had raised an enormous dirt ball and were about to throw it at each other. He knew the consequences would be disastrous...

"Terra, Raven, NO!"

Too late. Both mud balls where thrown and collided at the same time, sending dirt everywhere and burying the three people in it. Beast Boy turned into a mole and dug towards the surface, worried about the city and his two companions under the ground.

Once he reached the surface, he turned into human and saw both Raven and Terra getting out of that disaster by using their powers. They both glared at each other, and then did the last thing Beast Boy would expect them to do: they broke into uncontrollable laugh.

"Your face is so dirty... It's so funny... Ha ha" Terra said between laughs.

"Do you think yours isn't? Ha ha ha... You're going to need two pounds of shampoo to get that out of your hair!" Raven answered, almost choking due to being speaking and laughing at the same time.

"Ok, now I know I MUST be dreaming, this is too surrealistic..." the green teen said with a confused expression.

The girls shut and turned to him, only to laugh their lungs off again.

"Your face... it's so funny... Ha ha ha ha" was all they could say.

"Hey, why is it so funny? You're making fun of me! You..." he took some mud with his hands "...are EVIL!"

He shut the mouths of both females with the two balls of dirt that impacted on them. They stared at him wide-eyed, then looked at each other with a cunning smile appearing on their faces.

"Shall we?" the dark Titan asked.

"Let's bury him!" the European exclaimed, already preparing some dirt balls.

"Oh, no you won't" he said, trying to sound defying and failing completely.

"YES WE WILL!" the other two shouted, throwing their deadly weapons at him.

In the tower, the other Titans started to worry about the other three, so they decided to call them, only to receive no answer. Intrigued, they all got into the T-car (except for Robin, who took his motorcycle) and went back to the alley where they had left Beast Boy and Raven... Only to see the strangest spectacle they had attended in their lives.

The alley was completely covered in mud, and Raven, Beast Boy and Terra were there. It seemed that the two girls had teamed up to throw dirt balls to the poor shape-shifter, who desperately tried to escape from them, yelling things as "No fair! Two against one is no fair!" or "Hey! Putting stones inside the balls isn't valid!"

Neither Robin, nor the others knew what to say, though eventually the Teen Titans' leader cleared his throat, making the other three stop for a moment.

When they saw him, Raven and Terra went pale, while Beast Boy ran to him.

"Robin, you have to tell them that they're cheating! They teamed up against me, and I don't have powers to throw so many mud balls at a time! And they put stones on them! They're EVIL, you heard me? EVIL!"

"Could anyone tell me what the hell is going on here?" was the Boy Wonder's angry answer.

Everybody heard the two girls swallowing. They could tell he was angry, his expression and his words said everything...

"Uh..." the now again blue-eyed girl started, not knowing what else to add.

"We... uh..." Raven stuttered "We were... settling out some differences and... uh..." The bird boy raised an eyebrow inquisitively "We are very sorry" she finally said, bowing in regret and making the others imitate her by pulling them down with dark energy.

Robin could do nothing by sighing, being as he was between taking some photos of the extremely funny moment and wanting to erase that bizarre episode from his memory.

"Alright... If everything's ok and you're not going to kill each other, then we should return to the tower and get some rest... And you three should take a shower as well, you look horrible"

Terra's eyes started to glow yellow, but Raven hit her nape with a dark energy hand.

_"Do you want to get kicked out of the team? Right now Robin's unpredictable, the best we can do is leaving him alone"_

_"Alright, but get out of my mind NOW"_

And thus, the Teen Titans got home. Raven, Beast Boy and Terra, after flying home (since Cyborg wouldn't let them get into his _baby _being so dirty), headed to their respective rooms for a long shower. One or two hours later, they got out.

After having dressed up with clean clothes, Garfield heard a knock on his door. He opened to see Raven.

"Can I come in?"

"It depends... Are you going to throw any other mud balls at me?" he answered in fake anger.

"Are you still mad?"

He laughed.

"I never was. Actually, that was quite... _fun. _And I couldn't help but being happy to see you two like that, you know, not wanting to kill each other and all that"

"So you don't mind it?"

"Nope"

They got inside the changeling's room. The girl sat at his bed.

"Good. I feared that it made you... regret what happened. Actually, even if you're not mad... I still fear it"

Beast Boy sat next to her, confused by her cryptic words.

"Uh... Excuse me?"

"Well... I mean what happened... you know... before Terra arrived..."

"Raven, could you speak more clearly? I don't understand a thing"

The girl lowered her head, feeling the heat in her cheeks. She then took a deep breath.

"I was wondering if you regret having kissed me and told me that... you love me..."

The boy's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you nuts? I've liked you for, like, years! I'd be an idiot if I regretted something like that! Oh..." a worried expression appeared on his face "Does this mean that you do? Do you... regret it?"

"No! I mean... Of course not" she exclaimed, becoming even redder than before.

The green teen couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the pale girl beside him, the always impassive Raven, blushing like the teenager she still was behind that apathetic, expressionless mask. Guided by both instinct and feelings, he hugged her softly, making her go stiff in surprise. In less than a second, though, she returned the embrace.

"Thank you" she whispered.

"Don't thank me" was the hero's answer "It's me who is feeling lucky about... being your boyfriend... Uh... in case you want me to be that, of course"

The Azarathean broke the hug and gave the boy an amused look.

"Why wouldn't I?"

He smiled and jumped from the bed, starting a happy dance that made the empath roll her yes, but also smile a bit.

"That's great! I have to tell the others before they go to bed!"

Raven sighed.

"I'd better go to sleep... And you should do the same, it's really late"

"When I'm done with spreading the good news, I will!"

He then went through the door, running in search of the rest of the team.

The violet-eyed girl sighed again and left his boyfriend's room to get to hers before her friends knew about her relationship with Gar. Being them her friends, she didn't really mind that they knew, but she didn't want to be bothered about it, not being as tired as she was. She knew nothing about the surprise that awaited her at her bedroom's door...

"Terra? What are you doing here?"

"Raven. I hope I'm not bothering you"

Tension was slowly rising.

"It's okay, I was just going to go to sleep. Is there something I can help you with?" she replied, trying to get done with that conversation as soon as possible.

"Well... I'd just like to talk... about what happened today between Beast Boy and you. Don't worry" she said when she saw Raven's tense expression "I don't want to lecture you, nor challenge you to a fight for BB. I know what he feels for you... I don't have any possibility to have him, at least not now. I just wanted to congratulate you. You're really lucky, you know"

"Yeah... Tell me something I don't know"

"Well, there's something else I'd like to tell you. Please, take care of BB. He deserves a good woman, someone even better than you and me put together. Try your best to become that woman, that's just what I'd do if I was so lucky to be in your shoes. And never, ever, make him unhappy. I respect that now you're together and I know my place, so I won't interfere in your relationship. But if you ever make the mistake of making him unhappy" her features hardened "I swear I won't stop until I make you pay and he's with me"

They stared at each other for a while, until Raven spoke.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing something like that. I know I'm very far from being the woman he deserves, but I'll work really hard on that. I'm positive one day I will become someone that truly deserves him"

"Thank you"

"You're welcome. Now, if you don't mind" she concluded "I'll go to sleep, I need some rest. Good night"

"Good night, Raven. And..."

"Yes?"

"I know we've had, and still have, our differences. But I want you to know that I respect you. You have guts"

"Thank you" Raven concluded while trespassing her room's door "And I think the same about you, Terra"

The Markovian walked through the hallway, thinking about the recent events. It was really late, but she didn't want to go to bed just yet. She finally decided to see if there was something interesting to eat in the fridge, so she got into the common room to see a strange scene that she didn't fancy at all...

"BOO-YAH! BB'S GOT THE GIRL!"

"Congratulations, friend!"

"I'm happy for you both, congrats!"

"I feel happy too, but it's really late. We should all go to sleep"

"Come on, Robin, not yet! We've got to celebrate!"

"Cyborg..."

The entire team, except for Raven, of course, was at the common room, apparently celebrating the birth of the new couple in the tower. Starfire was hugging (or was she asphyxiating?) Beast Boy, whose skin was turning blue. Cyborg was hugging both, scooping them up in the air. Jake was friendly patting the lucky teen's leg (since he couldn't reach his shoulder) and Robin was watching the scene, smiling softly. He couldn't forget what had happened that night, but he couldn't help but feeling happy for his friend. He would save for later the questions he had for the shape-shifter.

"Okay guys" he intervened "Come on, let's go to sleep. I want no 'buts'" he added, looking at his own girlfriend, who was already going to complain.

The four cheerful Titans reluctantly obeyed their leader. If they felt any concern towards Beast Boy's previous acts, they just hid it. Maybe they wanted him to feel better by celebrating his new relationship with the girl he had loved for so long. But Terra, the other girl in his life, didn't seem too happy with her friends' display, even though she knew it was the right thing to do to congratulate your friend for getting the girl he wants to be with.

The team saw the geomancer and passed by her, wishing her goodnight. They were a bit tense, it couldn't have been comfortable for her to see them happy about something that hurt her. Soon after they got out of the room, Robin followed them, quietly wishing good night to the remaining couple, consisting of the geomancer and her beloved. He knew by Terra's look that she wanted to have a talk with the green teen, so he decided to leave them alone instead of telling them to go to bed. Once alone, they both looked rather embarrassed and uncomfortable, as well as unwilling to look into their partner's eyes. Beast Boy was about to walk away when he heard Terra's calling.

"Sorry, did you want to talk?" he apologized.

"Only if you want to..."

"Oh, of course! I have no problem"

"Thank you" He waited for the girl to keep on speaking. She stayed silent for a while, but she finally found the words in her mind that she wanted to say ignoring the ones in her heart that pleaded to be screamed.

_I heard that you settled down, that you found a girl and you're married now_

**"**Congrats, BB. It was about time, I guess" she said, smiling weakly.

"Thanks, but... What do you mean?"

_I heard that your dreams came true, guess she gave you things I didn't give to you_

**"**Don't play the fool with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about!" she jokingly punched his arm. "Do you remember that time at the amusement park?"

"Yeah... It was quite good... until Slade broke in, of course" he blushed a bit. Why was she asking him that?

_Old friend, why are you so shy? It ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light_

**"**Good, now that you mention it... Do you remember what was about to happen when he came?"

"Uh..." the green teen didn't know what to say. Of course he remembered it, after all it was his almost-first-kiss.

"We almost kissed, right?" the blond girl asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

"Yes..."

_I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited but I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it_

**"**Terra, why are you asking me this?"The Titan seemed reluctant to answer.

"I just wanted to know... why you tried to do it..."

"Well... I did it because I liked you"

_I had hoped you'd see my face, and that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over_

**"**_Do you still do?" _Were the words Terra wanted to say. But she knew the answer as much as she knew that she didn't want to hear it.**"**But you didn't love me, did you?"

It was turning more and more awkward for the changeling, mainly because he was afraid of hurting her with his words. But he knew it would hurt her more to lie to her.**"**To be honest... No, I didn't get to feel something like that... After all, I barely knew you"

"Was it really that... Or was it that there was someone you knew better?"

_Never mind, I'll find someone like you_

_I wish nothing but the best for you too_

He immediately knew where she was heading.

"Terra... yes, there was Raven... though I think that if things had been different, maybe you and I could have..."

"Dont say it! I don't want to hear it. It'll make it even tougher than it already is, sorry" she apologized with a sad smile.

"Listen BB" she continued "I'm not here to plead you to leave her and be with me. I just wanted to congratulate you... and to let you know that, though I can't feel happy for you right now, I'll do whatever it takes so one day I can come up to you guys and say 'hey you two, it's great that you're together, you make an awesome couple!' and all those things I don't feel like saying right now. I will only ask you one thing: please, BB, don't stop being my friend"

"_Don't forget me" I begged. I remember you said_

"_Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"_

"Terra... of course I won't do that, I'll be your friend as long as you want me to. I hope that means forever..."

A big smile appeared on the face of the geomancer.

"You can bet on it!"

And she embraced him. It was hard to do all that and to keep her cool, but she knew it was for the best. At least, she could still have those little moments with him... and she was thankful for it.

_Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead_

After they parted, they said goodnight. Beast Boy immediately headed for his room, being tired as he was. Terra, on the other hand, stayed in the common room, stating that she was hungry and she wanted to take something for dinner before going to sleep. The truth was that she didn't really want to sleep, not yet at least. She went into the fridge to see if there was some food that could distract her from her thoughts, when she heard a voice.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

It was Jake.

"I could ask you the same" she answered.

He shrugged.

"I'm hungry. Is there some tofu? I'd really like a burger..."

"Here's some. Hey, I'd like one of those burgers too"

The black-haired shape-shifter smiled.

"Okay, I'll make one for you too"

"Oh, you don't have to!"

"But I want to. Besides, I saw you cooking and I really fear you might get poisoned someday" he joked, chuckling.

"In case you don't know, my dad's a cook, so have no fear, I won't poison anyone. But you can cook the burgers yourself then if you're sooo good!" the geomancer jokingly spat.

Her partner proceeded to prepare the tofu, still laughing.

Terra watched in silence how he prepared the burgers. When he was done, they sat down and ate.

"Hmm... delicious!" the blonde exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you believe me now?" Jake replied haughtily.

"Ha, you're still not better than me!" she defiantly replied.

"We'll see!"

Laughing, they resumed their late dinner. Jake stared at the girl for a moment, wondering how she was really doing behind her smiling face.

"Well, are you going to tell me how it went?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you stayed with BB and from what you told me, I guess that you're not exactly happy by what happened" he answered in a serious manner that didn't seem to be quite like him.

"Well, yeah. 'Not exactly happy' is quite a good way to express it... but there's nothing I can do, I'm not gonna try and steal him from Raven, I'm not that kind of person" she answered. Her face had a "not exactly happy" look as well.

"Hey" the shape-shifter said, patting her arm while smiling friendly "don't be sad about that, it means you're a good girl. Wasn't that what you wanted? To prove that you were never bad?"

Terra lowered her head with a faint smile on her face.

"I guess so... Hey, you really know how to cheer up someone, don't you?"

"Well, that's what friends are for!" he winked his eye "And now it's time for us to get some sleep, or else Robin will kill us tomorrow... and it's also time for you to get over BB! Just wait til next weekend, we'll go search for someone special! For both of us, I wouldn't mind meeting some cuties!"

His comment made Terra laugh a bit, but then she turned serious.

"That sounds tempting... but I don't know if I should..."

"Why not?"

"Well... Isn't that what people in love normally do... to dwell on their lost chances until they get over it?"

Jake shook his head energetically.

"No, no, no, WRONG. That's the worst you could do. Okay, you feel bad, it's normal, but you can't let that defeat you. Come on, look at all the things you've done til now: you sacrificed yourself for your friends, you pretended to betray them again to save your loved ones, you resisted the temptation to get in the way of BB and Raven, you're stronger than that!"

Terra blushed slightly for the compliments. She never saw herself as such a strong person, so those comments took her by surprise.

"I guess you're right... Yeah... I'll give it a try!"

"That's better!" Jake chirped "Now, we should go to bed or else we'll be dead tired tomorrow"

Terra agreed and they went to sleep. She felt quite better after that talk. Maybe the rest of the Titans would want to comfort her the next day for what happened, but she didn't need that anymore. She preferred them to see her happy. So right then and there, she decided she would focus on that. It wouldn't be easy, in fact she was still hurting, the tears in her eyes told her so, but she was sure that one day the pain would be gone... but only if she really tried.

However, there was someone who wasn't getting any peaceful sleep.

The flower-covered meadow appeared again in Beast Boy's dreams. He knew exactly its meaning. The white-clad woman was around again. But all he could see was the Beast, its fierce face down in what seemed to be shame. The changeling went up to face the creature.

"Why did you do it? Why did you make me kill those people?" he growled. He felt horrible for having been betrayed by the being that was supposed to help him.

"**I DID NOTHING! It was all that damned woman's making, she used her power to manipulate my will and thoughts!"**

Beast Boy was in shock. How could that woman do something like that? Who was her and why was she doing that to him? What were her intentions?

He saw the possibility of getting some answers just in front of him. The woman in white approached the green pair, one of them growling at her.

"I know both of you have some questions, I can sense it"

"**YOU! YOU TRICKED ME INTO MAKING GARFIELD COMMIT MURDER! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR DECEIVE" **

"Beast, wait!" the changeling was startled by his companion's reaction. He feared that things would get violent, he got the feeling that that woman was far more powerful than she looked. It was only reasonable to think so taking how she had been playing with his mind.

"I know how you feel about the last events... but it was for the best. All for the sake of protecting Raven"

Beast Boy was livid.

"Do you think that I don't want to protect her? Hell, I'm her boyfriend, and even when I wasn't I'd never kill people to do so unless it was completely necessary. Those two did something horrible, but they weren't a threat anymore!"

"You can never know, remember that it is always better to be safe than sorry" the hooded woman stated calmly "And even if you are not willing to do whatever it takes to protect her, I will not let anything bad happen to Raven"

"Even so, you don't have the right to play with me the way you did!" the young man angrily replied "I don't care what you think, I will protect her MY way!"

The woman in white nodded. The Beast hadn't stopped growling in a low tone. He obviously didn't trust their interlocutor.

"I will respect your decision then. But I will visit you, this time when you are awake, for I feel the need to express everything that brought me to this acts. Besides, you will be facing the danger, and this time you will not be able to defend you beloved. I want to make sure I am there to help you save her"

"Wait!" Beast Boy pleaded "What kind of danger are you talking about?"

"I am afraid there is no time left. You must wake up now and do your best. I will get ready to travel to your dimension so we can decide how to save Raven..." the woman whispered lowering her head.

The changeling tried to shout, he wanted to know more about the threat and if he really wouldn't be able to protect his girlfriend, but it was futile, since everything started to become blurry and all he could see was the Beast's worried face and the woman in white with the same expression on her face, solemnly waving goodbye. The young man woke up to the sound of an alarm, but it was different from the one that was usually heard in the tower. Its cadence, more urgent, didn't warn the Teen Titans that there was regular villain trouble. This alarm was built by Cyborg soon after the team's return from Tokyo, and it was made for a specific purpose.

That alarm going off meant that they were under attack.

**The end for this chapter. Big cliffhanger, I must say. But I like it this way, and since I have committed myself to be more regular I'm sure you won't hate me so much whenever my chapters end up this way. **

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before you go, there's something important I want to say. Please, EVERYONE who sent me their OCs by PM, could you send them to me AGAIN? There was a change in Fanfinction's users' profile and I lost all my old inbox PMs (and probably the outbox too), and though I designed the characters and I can still remember most of them (plus some of you guys sending me your OCs by reviews or PMs after the Fanfiction change) I still need their background information just in case, so PLEASE SEND ME EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR OCS AGAIN. This time I'll be more cautious and I'll write everything down in a Word document (which I should have done for the first time, but all I did was some sketching since I'm just that intelligent and awesome). So please send me your OCs again if you want me to use them in my story, since if I don't remember enough information about them I won't be able to use them properly, it's YOUR OCs after all and I think that making a wrong use of them due to not remembering your feedback would be extremely wrong.**

**I'll be gone for now, but I'll start writing the next chapter NOW, before I've even uploaded this one. I might make some changes if you make your suggestions and they sound interesting or viable for the story, remember I'm always open to them!**

**Be happy, people, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Avy.**


	18. Under attack

**I'm already started with this chapter so I expect to update it soon. I may not be able to update too fast in June and the first half of July, but that will be over by the last two weeks of July. Oh, and after next chapter I will start with the parallel story, so watch for it, and once it's uploaded, please read it, it will be important for the sequel of this story. It will be driven by OCs, though, so since you don't usually like that kind of stories I will add a small summary of it by the beginning of the sequel, so everyone can understand it. But it would be great if you read it too, so please, whenever it's uploaded, read it and let me know what you what you think about it. Oh, and the same goes for this chapter, please read and review!**

**By the way, there's something I'd like to ask. I have a list of OCs people had sent me, and as I already told you I lost the ones who were sent to me by PM. What I would like to ask you is to send them again. I will tell you the list. Some of them I remember almost perfectly, other not. So if you want me to use them, please send me all their information again, since I refuse to use anyone's original characters unless I'm sure that I'll portray them correctly, because otherwise I'd find it disrespectful to the OC's owner. Here's the list:**

**Pzyker and his sister Anna **

**Wolfgang (this is the one I remember best since I was his owner's Beta, but Wolfgang, it would be great if you could send me the key info about him again) and his apprentice Marvin**

**Taj **

**Nieve **

**Ophélie (she and Nieve belong to Moonlitkit, I think, and she asked me to remove one of her OCs. Could you please tell me if you want me to include these two or remove them too?).**

**Amber **

**Cross**

**Marlboro**

**That's all for now. The rest of the OCs I have have been sent by review, by PM after the changes in Fanfiction, or were sent to me again after my first request. Don't forget that if you want to submit your OCs, they will be more than welcomed, specially if they're bad guys!**

**Another thing: I'm getting really close to 100 reviews, so when I get there I want to do something special. I'll start another story, probably much shorter than this one, so I'll start writing it once I get to 100. I hope you read it too, and that you like it!**

**Now, let's get with the anonymous reviews:**

**The Cretin: My... thank you. I never thought of myself that way, but I really try my best. I must say I'm a hopeless BBxRae shipper too! You're welcome (by the way, I get the feeling that you'd also enjoy Salamanca), though I must say that I have hardly traveled, which is a shame, but when I have both money and time I will. Well, 32 is not that much then lol but you may enjoy a city without many people more than a 20-year-old (I say it being one myself, I used to like empty places but now I find them kind of scary). Well, I can see that since there are a lot of historical places in Spain, and even some medieval cities. As for languages, being a future translator (or interpreter if I'm lucky) I can tell you that they do require patience and constancy, but unless we're talking about more complicated languages such as German or Chinese (or at least I heard they're complicated) they're not a big ideal if you practice enough. The thing is having time to do so XD Oh, no, you noticed =( my plan didn't work, damn! Well, then I understand why you didn't create an account yet, don't worry and take your time, I'll still accept OCs until _Crossroads _is finished (and everybody finally understand why it is called _Crossroads _LOL). Thank you, I didn't really see them actually trying to kill each other, at least not in this story, the situation is completely different to the one in the 2nd season when they were actually trying to drown each other in mud. As for the cliffie... I simply love them, the bad thing is that the next chapter may not have one, but well, it's always good to try out new things! And thanks, but I'd rather be more regular, there are people here busier than me who can remain regular, so I feel guilty for having taken so much time off. Best regards, and thanks for your always encouraging reviews!**

**I have nothing else to say for now, so just be happy and enjoy this chapter!**

_Chapter 16: Under attack_

Beast Boy quickly jumped off the top bunk of his bed and put on his uniform at full speed. He couldn't lose a minute. The young man ran to the common room to see his friends just arriving there. Robin was already inside, calling them to see the cameras. Seven people had broken into the tower, ascending through separate ways.

"We are going to have to split up and fight them separately, they may try to access our database, our trophy room, my weapons, Raven's magic books or Cyborg's technology, so we will have to cut down their access to the higher levels of the tower"

The Teen Titans' leader's speech was cut off by one of the intruders, who was watching directly at the camera.

"Experiment number two!" he cried "My name is Erik Psilon, also known as Epsilon. You killed my brother; prepare to die!"

Beast Boy huffed.

"Seems that I'm being challenged"

"Please" Robin warned "We don't know our rivals' strength, so be cautious, everyone"

The team split and they went to face the villains. Beast Boy headed to where Epsilon was. In his belt there was this symbol: "ε". He was taller than Ypsilon, but he had his same pale complexion, dark hair and cold gray eyes, which were now giving the changeling a look full of hate and fury.

"You have come quickly... What will be your last words?"

"I didn't kill your brother on purpose, and I'm not intending to kill anyone else. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WON'T STOP YOU!" the young hero roared.

Epsilon snapped his fingers and electricity started to come out of his body.

"We'll see" he said, with a poisonous smile.

_With Robin..._

Robin found his rival. It was a woman who had Latin features, with dark hair, much tanned skin and green eyes. The buckle of her belt had the form of a "ι". When she spoke, she had a strong foreign accent.

"I'm Iona Tatsis. But you can call me Iota... though you may not do it for long..."

"I don't think so!" Robin shouted while standing in the middle of the room, studying his rival.

The girl gave him a cunning smile and, suddenly, she disappeared into thin air. Robin looked around, startled, until he saw a flash in front of him and Iota appeared again to kick him in the guts.

_With Starfire, Terra and Jake..._

Starfire, Terra and Jake went together to where three women were and took position in front of them. The three women went up to them, confronting them so they were fighting one to one. The three of them looked alike, as if they were relatives. The one facing Starfire had wavy blond hair and blue eyes, and the buckle in her belt was a "μ". Terra's rival also had blue eyes, but her hair was brown and her symbol was a "η". The woman in front of Jake had brown hair too, but she had brown eyes. She wore a "ξ" on her belt.

Starfire's rival was the first to speak.

"We are the Iwanickis; I'm Mariya and they are my sisters Natalka and Kseniya. We go by Mi, Ni and Ksi"

"I'm afraid that information will be no use to you once we're done with this" Ni intervened.

"We shall see if you keep thinking the same after fighting us!" Starfire roared while flying towards her opponent, with her starbolts ready.

Mi easily dodged the alien's first charge and attacked her physically. The red-haired superhero was sure of her physical superiority, so she didn't expect the blond villain to stop her punch with her own hand. They were quite evenly-matched.

At the same time, Terra lifted a huge boulder and threw it over Ni, who wasn't fast enough to dodge it. The geomancer smiled triumphally until she saw the rock colliding with her rival... and leaving her completely unharmed. Natalka smiled.

"I'm tougher than I look, huh?"

At first, the blonde was shock, but then she returned the smile.

"It'll be more interesting this way!"

Jake wasn't having a good time. He had barely had time to morph into a wolf when Ksi was already hitting him. She wasn't especially strong, but she was extremely fast, and she was making it impossible for him to reach her or even react.

_With Raven..._

_"Why do I always have to fight against the creepy ones?" _the empath thought. In front of her was a hooded man. He was wearing a shredded black cape that covered all of his body, giving him an ominous appearance. He appeared to be the only Omega's special warrior that didn't wear a belt with his symbol: he had it tattooed on his hands instead: a "ς" on his right hand and an "σ" on his left hand.

"The protocol requires me to give you my name, then my Omega codename... I am Sigmund Matters, but you can call me Sigma" he murmured. His voice was gelid and had that same touch of something going horribly wrong. Raven had always been kind of dark, but that man was giving her the creeps. She didn't like him at all.

"Sigma, then... I'm sorry to say this, but I'm afraid it's quite rude from you to invade our tower, so I will now proceed to kick you out of it" she said, trying to conceal that feeling of dread slowly growing inside of her.

Sigma laughed lightly. The Azarathean could feel the hair in her arms standing on end.

"I thought you were never going to say it... Then let's begin"

He phased into the wall behind him, melting with the shadows. When Raven went to follow him, he emerged, his body now a black shadow, and tried to tackle her. She dodged him by flying upwards.

_"What is he trying to do?"_

_With Cyborg..._

"What do we have here? I didn't know Omega had Heaven by his side!"

Cyborg's booming laugh and his sarcastic comment didn't seem to affect his opponent. The mechanical man's remark hadn't been motivated by neither his rival's outfit, which differed from the regular ones for Omega's special forces in being white with a φ attached to its belt, nor his long, golden, almost white hair, nor by his sapphire blue eyes. He said that because the man in front of him had a pair of white feathered wings that, along with his suit and his physical appearance, made him ressemble an angel.

"I am no angel" he stated calmly "My name is Philipp Simons, Phi for you. I think you encountered my sister Prue. Tall, tanned, blond, with golden eyes...?"

"Ha, I remember that little punk" was the hero's answer "She gave me quite a headache... it's a pitty it won't happen the same with you"

"I am very sorry to disappoint you" Phi said while taking off "but I'm actually stronger than my sister"

He spread his wings and lots of feathers fell over Cyborg, making him cringe in pain. He reached out for his face and saw that he had a minor cut which was starting to bleed...

"They're sharp... Smart guy" he said, smiling defiantly to his enemy.

Meanwhile, Robin was trying to endure the attacks of Iota. She was a teleporter, so at first it was hard for him to find out where she'd appear next. He had to take some hits from her to notice a pattern in her attacks, and taking that she showed some experience in martial arts, the Boy Wonder was now quite bruised.

Bruised, but not defeated.

Iota was a skilled fighter, but not a good strategist. She would always attack him from the point that was farthest from the one she had stood before, only changing her route every now and then to make it less noticeable. But for someone like Robin, it was too easy.

He could almost feel her foot reaching out for the back of his head. He knelt down in time and she fell to the ground. Before the villain could do anything, he took her by her arm and punched her face strong enough to make her fall down and hit the ground, losing conscience.

It had been too easy... which meant Iota had only been a distraction.

A distraction... from what?

The other Titan that was on the winning side was Cyborg. Though at first it had been difficult for him to reach Phi since he couldn't fly, he eventually hit him with his sonic cannon, though not before receiving more cuts from his rival's feathers. Besides, his attack lightly damaged the room they were in. But now, the most important thing was that he had injured one of Phi's wings, so he wouldn't be able to fly (at least not until it was healed), which meant that his former superiority was now gone. However, the angel-like villain didn't give up so easily; he quickly moved his wings causing himself pain, but also raising a feathered barrier in front of him. The half-robot raised his sonic cannon again in order to destroy it, but then Phi resolved to attack with everything he had, dissolving the feathered barrier in front of him and hitting his opponent with his sharp feathers, hurting him further...

...but never stopping him.

Cybord raised his arm once more, putting more power and energy into his sonic cannon, and shot. It was more than enough to send his rival against a wall, making him hit it and lose consciousness. Had the tallest Titan been more cautious and less worried about his friends, he would have tied that man up to prevent him from escaping. He decided against it and went to check up on his friends.

Starfire, Terra and Jake were having more trouble. The three sisters were merciless, and each one of them had complementary powers that made them really difficult to handle. The one having more problems was Jake, whose rival was extremely fast, so much that she could probably be compared to Kid Flash or Más y Menos. She wasn't especially strong, in fact he was sure that he could take her down easily if he could hit her, but it was nearly impossible to do so with her running around him.

Then he had an idea.

He morphed into an eagle and quickly took flight. He now could see her more clearly despite her being in constant movement. It all happened in less than a second, so she never noticed his absence inside her deadly circle. He didn't give her time to do so. The tanned changeling positioned himself over the place where he would attack her and then let himself fall down over her... now turned into a gorilla. The result was obvious: Ksi got smashed by the hero and got knocked out.

"Kseniya!" Ni shouted.

It was the chance Terra had been waiting for. She had kept hitting her opponent over and over again but not to avail; she was the one getting hurt by Ni's counter attacks. But that served the blonde to notice something: Ni's defensive powers worked as an invisible protective barrier around her. When she was attacking her, that barrier dropped, and so did that time, when she got distracted by her sister's defeat.

The geomancer hastily raised a boulder and then let it go on her rival, knocking her down too. She smiled triumphally.

"Sorry" she said "but my former master taught me how to play dirty"

Mi saw her sisters' defeat and got worried. What if they were badly injured? Starfire took advantage of this and punched her, sending her against a wall. Thus, Mariya Iwanicki got defeated.

"Well done, my friends" the alien princess congratulated "Now we shall go to assist the others, they may need us"

Terra and Jake nodded and followed her.

"WHOA!"

Beast Boy looked in shock at the place he had been standing in a second ago. There was a huge black burn on the floor. He looked at Epsilon, who was already charging more electricity.

_"He's not a weakling at all. If he hits me with his lightning, I'm dead" _the teen thought.

He would have to be fast. Epsilon threw him his lightning and he barely dodged it, now jumping forwards, turning into a panther in order to hit the cold-eyed man in front of him. When the changeling's claw met Epsilon's flesh, the former cringed in pain. Electricity filled his enemy's body, and touching him was like suffering an electric shock. Fortunately, it wasn't as strong as the one he'd get if he was touched by the man's lightning. Besides, he had ripped his torso, tearing his uniform into threads and making blood pour from his chest. It would be painful to defeat him, but also easier than before. He charged again, now as a lion. His rival surprised him with a lightning bolt that he could only dodge by changing into a cheetah and changing his route in the last moment. His fur was standing on end.

Then, Epsilon changed his position into a more relaxed one and stopped charging electricity.

"You know" he said "I'm starting to think that killing you now won't be enough to fully avenge my brother. I have to make you feel all the pain I am feeling right now. How about I kill your stupid friends, one by one?" he asked, a hideous smile on his face "That way you will know how it feels to lose someone dear before I end your pathetic life. But I want more... I want you to beg me to kill you! I know what I'm going to do... I'll kill all of your friends; saving for the end your little sorceress Omega said you have feelings for..."

That made Beast Boy react.

"No you won't... As I told you, your brother's death was not intentional... BUT I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"

He felt it. His body growing bigger and stronger. But there was no anger left. Instead, there was the desire to protect, to protect his friends, but especially to protect someone the Beast inside him seemed to live for defending. Now they were united, after all, he was a part of him...

And he wasn't going to let anyone hurt Raven.

Before Epsilon could attack him, the Beast already tackled him to the ground, oblivious to the painful feel of his enemy's body. His claws made their way into the villain's skin, ripping it open, making him bleed, but not enough to die from the blood loss. However, his move ensured him victory.

He triumphally turned back into his human self. Epsilon's words made him remember what the woman in his dreams had told him.

Raven would be endangered and he wouldn't be able to protect her.

He ran as fast as he could to find her, fearing that he might arrive too late.

Meanwhile, the girl was still trying to find a way to fight Sigma. The fight they were having was starting to look more like a pursuit. She kept flying away, avoiding his shadowy form that kept trying to grab her. He started to pull some sort of shadow tentacles that made it hard for her to escape. She tried fighting back with her powers, but no damage was dealt. It looked like her rival was invincible. Suddenly...

Beast Boy finally arrived to where Raven was. He saw her trying to dodge the man fighting her, when suddenly a shadow claw emerged and pierced Raven's chest. Her eyes went wide in surprise, while the green teen could only let out a cry.

"RAVEN!"

Sigma's claw felt gelid. It was a horrible sensation. It didn't hurt her, but Raven almost preferred to feel pain than to feel that. She got dizzy and saw everything becoming darker... she heard someone screaming her name, but she couldn't make up who it was, she was too tired...

Sigma took the empath in his arms, very delicately so he wouldn't hurt her. It amused him to see Experiment number two so franctic, after all...

"It's not like I have killed her, don't worry" he said in his horrid voice "I have been given the order of capturing her, so my partners won't be bothering you anymore. We apologize for the inconveniences we may have caused. Now, if you don't mind" he added, now carrying the violet-haired teen bridal style "we have to go now. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Teen Titans"

All the Titans were now congregated in the room where Sigma was disappearing along with Raven and the rest of Omega's followers, all thanks to the hooded man's power. The team could only watch in horror how their friend had fallen into Omega's claws.

**DUN DUN DUN DUN END OF THE CHAPPIE! COME ON, HATE ME, HATE ME SOME MORE! What will happen now to our Rae-Rae? Will she kill me for calling her that? I actually meant this chapter to be longer but I can't finish my chapters without cliffhangers and I think this one is just too perfect to be left out. Maybe some other time, after all, I like experimenting and trying out new things. By the way, don't think that what I said about getting to 100 reviews is so you review more, I'm not like that, while I like reviews I won't force anyone to leave them. What I intend to do is celebrating, because I think getting so many wonderful feedback does deserve some celebration. Besides, I already have 97 reviews, I think it's fair enough to say that it's just a matter of time that I get to 100, knowing that there's people who review all of my chapters (like my dear The Cretin) and Crossroads still has quite more than 3 chapters ahead. **

**Before saying goodbye, I'd like to thank Moonlitkit for her patience in answering all my questions about her OCs. I hope you don't hate me now for being so annoying, I always tend to be, I'm sorry and thanks a lot for your OCs and your assistance! I'd also like to thank my Beta, TheForceIsStrongWithThiseOne, since this chapter required more corrections than usual.**

**I think I have nothing else to say. Everyone who already sent me their OCs, thanks a lot! And those of you who haven't, know that I will welcome them gladly (especially if they are villains).**

**So long, and thanks for the fish!**

**Avy.**


	19. Time is running out

**Hi again! Well, as you can tell from this chapter's title, I love Muse and their chaotic compositions. I really hope you like this new chapter, and that you read the story I've just started to celebrate _Crossroads'_ 100th review. It's called _In the blue dark. _Oh, another thing: after this chapter is up I will start with _Crossroads' _parallel story, so stay tuned and please read it! And review if you may, you'd make me really happy!**

**Let's start with the anonymous reviews:**

**The Cretin: Nope, I think you're the last one to review, so you are definitely my review number 100! And I must say I find it most appropriate. You do encourage me a lot, and now it's thanks to you that I'm going to start something new. Thanks a lot for your advice, while I really like dialogues I know that a Teen Titans story will always, at least most of the times, require some action, and action scenes have always been what scared me the most, I was scared of being another Stephenie Meyer who could write endless cheesy love scenes but would never be able to describe a good fight, and I made the ones in this last chapter really brief, partly because I wanted to give a vertiginous feel to them, as if everything happened just too damn fast, and partly, they were written that way because it was late at night and I was half asleep... So I do try to make them feel real and descriptive enough, though I still think I have to improve a lot in that respect. You're welcome, you'll probably hear about more interesting cities to visit, that's something I like about travelling, and sometimes you find places that, though they're not as famous as others, they're lovely nonetheless. Oh, and about languages, I must add that, though self-learning is quite viable, having a good teacher helps a lot. Thank you, right now I'm a bit lost about how to start my professional career, since next year will hopefully be my last at university, and I'm still not completely sure about what to do, but I have some things clear and now all that's left for me to do is asking for advice from professionals. Oh, and thanks a lot for the OC! He looks really interesting! LOL Romanians are seen as gypsies here too and some Romanians will tell you that some people in their country (who usually emigrate) are actual gypsies. Anyway, I'd like to know some things about this OC, but maybe it'll be better to wait until you can make a Fanfiction account so as not to spoil possible readers. I'll make the questions now, though: is he a hero or a villain? How old is he? And don't worry about your reviews' length, I don't mind at all! Thanks a lot for your review, which, as I said before, made the 100th! Be happy!**

**Well, let's get with the story, but not without reminding you of sending me any OC you want to see in Crossroads' sequel! Now enjoy your reading, and if you have time, read my other stories and review! Let's get started now!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, but this chapter will feature Dude Your Awesome8's OCs, two of which she shares with me, though I have her permission to use the other one.**

_Chapter 17: Time is running out_

"Damn it!" Robin exclaimed, punching a wall "I knew they were trying to distract us! I should have known they wanted Raven!"

Starfire caressed his arm, comforting. She was livid.

"Boyfriend Robin, there was no possible way you could know they were planning to take friend Raven away from us"

The team leader lifted a palm to his forehead and frowned, thinking at full speed.

"It's too dangerous to go all of us together, last time we escaped by chance. I will send just one of us to Omega Labs"

"I will do it, Rob" Beast Boy said in an unusually solemn manner.

His friend shook his head.

"I know exactly how you feel, Beast Boy, it was the same for me not so long ago..." he stopped to look at her alien girlfriend. It had been exactly the same situation, so he could perfectly understand his green friend's feelings "but I can't risk sending you: think about it, when we went into Omega Labs he immediately knew we were there; he's a powerful telepath, and your mind's like an open book, you just have to think about how easy it always is for Mad Mod to hypnotize you..."

The changeling's ears dropped. He wasn't able to protect Raven, and now he couldn't even save her. And he called himself a superhero?

"Besides" Robin continued "Omega seems interested in your Beast form, I remember they tried to capture you the last time, so I can't let him get his hands on you. I would send Jake, who's more resistant than you, but Omega wants him too... I think the best thing is that I go myself... but I will need help"

Beast Boy's face brightened.

"You can count on me!"

The Boy Wonder was going to thank his teammate when something happened. White flowers covered the floor, filling the room with a strangely sweet scent. Then they turned into light, a bright, white light, which took the form of a person... and finally became a person.

All the Titans, except for one, went into their fighting positions, thinking that they were being ambushed again.

The stranger was no other than the hooded woman from Beast Boy's dreams.

"I have come in peace, so there's no need for you to be defensive" then she took her hood off "My name is Arella Roth. I am Raven's mother.

The entire team was startled by the revelation. Beast Boy looked at her face and he notice that his girlfriend did resemble her. He went pale.

"I can't believe it..." he muttered "I can believe that the woman who has been playing with my mind and making me kill two people is Raven's mother!" he said, louder this time.

"What?" the Titans' leader exclaimed.

"At first I thought it had been the Beast" the shape-shifter explained "it was, but he was being manipulated by her"

"As I already told you, I only did that to protect my daughter" was her answer "I am not here to discuss the recent events, but to help you save my child. As an Azarathean, I hold some powers; foreseeing the future is one of them. And all I could see lately is Raven endangered, that is why I committed myself to do whatever it takes to keep her safe"

"Including killing?" Robin said accusatorily.

"I know you do not agree with my ways. I can see why, you are not the only ones to do so. Azarath is a pacifist society where any kind of violence is highly punished. Our leader Azar saw my intentions and so she expelled me from my home place. But I do not care, I have my priorities set"

"You said you're going to help us" the hero said, not wanting to waste more time "You arrived here by some sort of teleporting, am I correct?" Miss Roth nodded "Good, then there's something you could help us with... Team, I have a plan. Let's call the Titans East"

_In the Titans East's tower..._

It was early in the morning and only two people were up. One was Bumblebee, who was used to get up very early, the other one was one of the Teen Titans East's three new acquisitions. The three of them came from Spain.

The first one was Scarlett, a hyperactive girl with power over computer technology, in terms of materializing computer software, manipulating special computer hardware for combat and finding any kind of information available on the Internet instantly. She was presumably the best hacker the Teen Titans could find. Rumor has it that she and Speedy had starting to flirt and would soon get together.

The second one was Fireian, whose superhero name said everything about him. He was a fire blender, Scarlett's older brother and the second Titan already up in the Titans East's tower. Bumblebee soon appreciated his presence, since he was a calm person and a really good strategist, so he helped her a lot in designing trainings and planning strategies to defeat their foes. Besides, his calm demeanor was solace for the girl, since the rest of the team consisted of a bunch of hyperactive, over reactive, always arguing people who, weren't there someone else with the slightest bit of common sense, would drive her mad.

The last one was Icyhandra, who had quite an illustrative name too. She held a lot of power over ice, but little control over it. Her fighting style was very aggressive and impulsive, turning her into the Titans East's human tank and showing that demeanor in non-battle situations from time to time. She indeed was prone to lose her temper, but also to make even the calmest lose it, which included Fireian.

The two Titans were silently having breakfast while watching the news. Then, the video call alarm started to ring. Bumblebee got up to answer the call. In the huge screen she could see Robin.

"Hey guys, how are you doing?" she cheerfully greeted.

"I'll be direct: we have trouble and need your help" the other leader answered with a grim expression. Bumblebee's smile fell: she had thought that call was about Fireian's birthday party that would be celebrated the next day, but it seemed that it was more serious business.

"Tell me what happened" she said. Fireian went by her side to listen.

"Do you know Keller Labs? They have laboratories throughout the States, I believe there's one of them there in Steel City" both Titans nodded "well, DO NOT TRUST THEM. Make sure to keep an eye on them. They are very dangerous and we have very good reasons to suspect that they're up to no good. The thing is that Raven has been kidnapped by this organization and taken to their laboratories here in Jump, called Omega Labs. I need someone to disable their security system, cameras included, and to manipulate it in our favor if needed. I think you already know who I'm talking about"

"So you want me to send Scarlett there, huh? Okay, I'll go wake her up, but I warn you that the trip here will take hours. Aren't you sure that Sparky can't do it?"

"He could only complete a part of the plan, and don't worry for transportation, we have someone that will teleport her here" Robin explained.

"Okay then. She's not up yet, so I'll go wake her up. She'll be ready in five minutes"

"Thank you Bee"

"Thank me by bringing Raven back. Take care, okay? And if you need help, don't forget we're here for you" the girl warmly replied "See you tomorrow... because there's no way you're missing that party, you heard me?"

"Got it. Titans West out"

Robin turned to face Arella.

"Miss Roth, let me show you a Steel City map with the tower's location"

The teen pressed a couple of buttons and a Steel City map appeared on screen. He selected the T-Tower and zoomed into street view.

"That will be enough, thank you" the woman said before teleporting away.

Some minutes later, she came back with Scarlett, whose normally tanned skin was a bit pale. She looked dizzy.

"Hey, guys. How can I help you?"

"First, by having breakfast. Teleporting from Steel City must have been quite a big deal, and I need you to be able to work at full capacity" the bird boy said.

The Titans headed for the kitchen counter so Cyborg could cook some breakfast for the girl while the bird boy continued with his explanation.

"Then you have to help us hack Omega Lab's central system so we can use it for our own interest and they can't. To be more precise, I need you to shut down their access to the camera's images while letting us see what's on them. It would be best if you could also take control of the building's security system. The best we can do is remain unnoticed"

"I can help you with that" Arella intervened "With my power I could put everyone in the lowest floors to sleep"

"That would be great, thank you" the masked leader replied "Then we'll do it this way: Cyborg, you take Miss Roth and me in the T-car to Omega Labs. Please use the camouflage; I'm not taking my motorcycle for a reason. Scarlett, you'll manipulate Omega's central pc from here, do you think you can do it?"

"Piece of cake" she jabbered with a piece of a waffle in her mouth.

"Good. Beast Boy, you'll watch the cameras and tell me of any of Omega's forces' movements, as well as Raven's location. As for the rest of you" he looked at his three remaining teammates with a solemn expression in his face "you'll be plan B. If all this fails and I get caught, you'll hurry and head to Omega's Labs and attack, causing enough mayhem for me to escape with Raven. You'll leave at the same time as me, so if you have to take part in this, make sure you don't get captured by them, understood?"

Starfire, Terra and Jake nodded. The boy decided to ask a brief question about something he had been thinking about for some time.

"Robin, before we start... I'd like to say that I've made up a superhero name for myself, since I never got one... From now on, I would like to be called Black Beast. What do you think about it?"

"Oh, no" Cyborg mockingly scolded "We already have enough with one BB in this tower, do you want to make us all go crazy or something?"

The changeling, along with the rest of his teammates, couldn't help but laughing a bit at his tall friend's joke. Robin smiled; it amazed him how his friends could keep an optimistic spirit even in the darkest hour... and he was thankful for it.

"Alright... Black Beast" he said "Okay, once Scarlett's done with her breakfast, we'll part immediately. I'll tell you when to hack Omega's system"

The brown-haired girl nodded while finishing her coffee. Soon, she had finished her breakfast and was feeling much better. Black Beast hastily removed the dishes from the table while Robin, Cyborg and Arella departed, not before Starfire gave her boyfriend a good luck kiss.

The three people got into the T-car. Upon arriving at the city, Cyborg pushed the camouflage button and turned his baby into a gray Mustang GT500. They parked as near as possible to the laboratory. As soon as Robin got out of the car, Arella used her powers to grow her flowers in the lower levels of the building, making everybody in the non-protected area fall asleep. In that same moment, the Boy Wonder pulled out his communicator and gave Scarlett his order:

"Do it now"

The red-eyed girl started manipulating the tower's central computer while her eyes glowed. After a series of commands she introduced that her friends couldn't quite follow, she beamed.

"I did it!"

The screens in front of her showed images of the whole building. Beast Boy looked around with the help of his friends and he soon located his girlfriend.

"Robin, Raven's in the upper laboratory, on the 27th floor! The regular guards are all asleep, and it seems that Omega's special forces are in some kind of meeting room with him, in the 28th floor. You'll have to be careful so he doesn't sense you"

"Thanks" the young man muttered to his communicator while trespassing the front door. He didn't have to go up too many stories to find a slumbering scientist with an elevator target like the one Beast Boy had used the last time they were there. It didn't take him to where he was heading, so he assumed that only Omega's special forces (and maybe his best scientists) were allowed in the upper levels. It didn't matter, though, as it wouldn't take him too much to go upstairs to the laboratory where Raven was being held captive. As he ran his way up, he noticed there were cameras watching his every move. Thankfully, only his friends would be able to see them. He went all the way to the 27th floor and waited for instructions from Beast Boy.

"It's the last door from the left, room 313" his teammate's voice said.

The bird arrived to the door, but it was locked. Before he could manage to open it, Scarlett introduced some new commands on the computer and the door switched open.

"Raven..."

The other bird in the team was lying on a bed, unconscious. The Boy Wonder took her in his arms and carried her on piggyback in a similar way he had done that time when he found her in the form of a little girl.

"Robin, they're finishing their meeting! Get out of there!" Beast Boy's voice shouted through the communicator.

The hero ran as fast as he could towards the elevator, focusing all the time in leaving his mind blank, as the girl he was carrying had taught him once upon his request.

He wasn't lucky, though. Arthur Keller had already felt the strange quiet in the building resulted from his workers having fallen asleep, and he immediately teleported to the central computer... to see it was not available for his service. He sent a telepathic message to his goons to watch out for intruders.

"Oh, no!" Beast Boy moaned "Scar, try out the security system before Rob gets caught!"

The girl complied, and after furiously typing on the keyboard, she made some laser rays disposed throughout the labs to attack intruders go against all of the special forces. The changeling noticed that, save for Epsilon, Phi and Sigma, the people who had attacked the tower were missing. He wondered whether they had escaped or Omega had eliminated them. He swallowed; and he thought his girlfriend was creepy...

Robin made it to the entry and sprinted to the T-car. Once he got the unconscious girl inside it, her mother stopped her sleeping spell's effects and Cyborg pressed the gas pedal hard.

Unfortunately, their actions didn't go unnoticed by Keller. He knew someone was controlling his system, and mentally scanned the T-tower to find them. Who else could have done something like that? He finally found Scarlett. She was shutting everything down under Robin's command, so she wouldn't be caught and the central system would go back into Omega's control. The man smiled.

She had been too slow.

"AAAAAAARRGHHHHH!"

"SCARLETT!"

Cyborg drove at full speed back to the tower while Arella used her power to wake her daughter up, when Robin heard Beast Boy's frantic call through his communicator.

"Robin, we have trouble! Something's wrong with Scar!"

"Damn it!" he muttered.

The three people soon arrived to the heroes' home. Cyborg took Raven to the medical bay while Robin and Arella raced to where the others were.

Chaos had taken over. Scarlett had fallen from her chair and she was rolling in the floor, screaming her lungs out, while Starfire tried to restrain her. Terra and Jake were watching, horrified and unable to react. Arella knelt down next to the girl and extended her hand over her forehead, beginning to chant with her eyes closed.

Thus, she entered the Titan's mind... to find out it had been taken over by Omega.

She couldn't see what the man was doing to the teen, since he had powerful barriers, but she pushed him out, using all her strength. It was hard; he was a really good mind blender, but she had spent most of her life in Azarath, descended from Azaratheans and learnt all she knew from Azar herself, so while she didn't have her child's demonic powers, she was a really powerful empath, telepath, teleporter, and healer. In the end, Omega gave up on his hold over Scarlett and Arella got out of her mind, victorious. She found the girl laying on the floor, being comforted by a worried Starfire, her red eyes dripping tears.

"Whatever he did to your mind" the woman said in a soothing voice "whatever he showed you, it's not real and it cannot hurt you. Did you understand?"

The girl shook her head in disagreement. Miss Roth sighed and insisted on taking the teen back home. After she did, she was greeted with a much more pleasant view.

"Raven!"

The girl was standing in front of the door, with Cyborg by her side. She looked tired and weak, but she was smiling softly. All the Titans went up to embrace her (Terra didn't have the nerve to do so and just patted her shoulder). But for her, the most special welcoming was the one of her green boyfriend, who held her close to him and kissed her sweetly.

"I thought I'd lose you..." he whispered while caressing her violet hair.

"Never" she replied "I'm way tougher than Omega thinks"

"Raven!"

The appointed looked at her interlocutor and her eyes grew wide.

"Mother?"

"Actually" the green teen said "I think she has quite some explaining to do, so let's leave you two alone"

"Yeah, but before that" Robin intervened "please tell me: how's Scarlett?"

"She is still scared and affected by Omega's attack, but she will feel much better after being with her friends and resting"

The hero sighed in relief. Then he felt someone patting his shoulder.

It was Beast Boy.

"Thanks for saving her, dude" he said.

"No problem. You would have done the same for me. Actually" he added while looking at his extraterrestrial girlfriend who was now hugging the young empath to death "you already did. Beast Boy... sorry for doubting you... for thinking you were nothing more than a criminal... again"

The changeling smiled.

"Don't worry, Rob. I know you were just trying to protect the city. We're cool, okay?"

The two men looked at each other and shook hands, smiling. Then the leader talked.

"Okay"

"Well, guys" Cyborg said "I don't know what you're planning, but I say we rest a bit, now that we can"

"Okay, but first you have to make a silver buckle with my initials for my uniform" Black Beast exclaimed cheerfully.

"What? Silver? Aren't you posh, boy!" the half-robot joked.

"I'd be if I asked you for a platinum one!" was the second changeling's reply.

The Titans in the room laughed. They all knew their fight against Omega wasn't over yet, but for the moment, they would be able to enjoy some moments of peace together.

**End of the chapter. I hope you liked it, because I'm not totally happy with its outcome. Anyway, some things that were left unsaid will be clarified in the parallel story, which will be called _Dies Irae. _So watch out for it, it'll be up soon! As for this chapter, as I don't know about hacking (my knowledge about computers is embarrassingly limited), everything Scarlett does has been made up. Oh, and you may have also noticed I slightly modified Arella's cannon to give her powers (or did she have some? I'm not sure, but I know that even if she had they wouldn't be like the ones in this story). I hope you don't mind it, since according to the TV show's cannon she's dead, and Azarath is completely destroyed (or so I think, again, please correct me if I'm wrong), but I felt like making these slight changes so she fits better in the story. Again, sorry if this upsets someone.**

**Oh, and don't forget to send me your OCs!**

**Peace,**

**Avy.**


	20. A moment of peace

**I'm glad to start with a new chapter of Crossroads after all this time! I really hope you enjoy it. As always, please read and review.**

**Anonymous reviews:**

**The Cretin: Thank you! I didn't notice that myself but I do try to improve my writing and try out new things. I'm glad I'm getting more fluent, I've practiced a lot, did a lot of translations into English in class plus my lessons at the school of languages, but I also have to thank TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne for my improvement, being a native English speaker and an extremely fluent Spanish speaker (I think he could be considered bilingual) makes him one of the best Betas I could find. About Meyer, I agree with you: while Twilight's literary quality is not very high since it's just a commercial product, I don't think it's impossible for her to become a good writer if she wishes so, she just wrote that way to attract the kind of public she wanted. And people call her stupid! Besides, she's just beginning her career so it's natural for her to have flaws, though I did notice that she wasn't very good at describing fighting scenes, maybe because she doesn't like writing them, who knows? In any case, she does have the possibility to improve, I always thought she wrote that way for the purpose of selling and not because she can't actually do better. Thanks a lot for the extra information about your OC; he's a really interesting character. I like that idea of him not being really able to choose sides, it's only logic, I guess, after all he has to see. Thanks for giving me such freedom over him; I always ask OCs' owners what they want me to do with their characters, just in case they had something in mind, they're not my own characters after all and I want to respect their owners. LOL, that's kind of cool, though you always use the same name so everybody knows it's you who's leaving a review (oh, but you can leave more than one with different alias so I guess one can never know if it's you again). Okay, then I won't compare you to them! But I do like Bats, I must say. And I'm glad you enjoy being in Fanfiction, it's great to have reviewers like you here. Thanks a lot for your help, and I really hope you're okay. Be happy, see (well, read, actually) you soon!**

**anon: Thank you! And thanks a lot for your OC! I find the bunny ears quite cute. If you wish to add more background information just tell me, but if it's possible it would be better that you signed in and send me a PM so as to not spoil future readers with any detail that you feel that should only come out at a determined point of the story. If you don't have anything else to add it's okay, you've done more than enough by sending me an OC. Thank you very much and I hope you keep on reading my stories!**

**Now, let's start the next chapter of this story.**

_Chapter 18: A moment of peace_

"Why did you do it?"

Arella looked at her daughter's stern expression with the calmness that was usual in her.

"It was for the best. I did it to protect you, so I have no regrets"

"You manipulated another person's mind! My boyfriend's mind, to make matters worse!"

While Raven wasn't one to go around talking about her love life, the kiss she shared with Beast Boy moments ago had been quite illustrative, so any attempt to hide her relationship from her mother was pointless, especially being a telepath as she was.

"That's another issue" Arella sighed "Raven, you're still too young for this…"

"I'm seventeen, mother" the girl complained.

"You're still a girl. I know his intentions are noble, but I don't think you're ready for something like this. I was too young when I became your mother and, unlike you, I didn't have a chance to avoid it. Don't make that mistake"

"Mother!" Raven exclaimed, exasperated. "It's not like we're going to start making babies! Could you please do us two a favor and stop treating me like an idiot?"

Raven's mother shook her head.

"I'm not treating you like an idiot; I'm just worried about your well-being. In fact, I will stay here until I'm sure you will be okay, and for now all I can see is danger for you"

The daughter put her hand on her mother's shoulder.

"Mother, I'll be okay. I have been after all these years, why wouldn't I be now?"

"I don't know… I'm just asking you to be careful. I have never been too much of a mother for you… but now that you're free from Trigon's influence, I would like to make up for all those years…"

"Mother…"

Their emotional moment was interrupted by a knock in the door. Raven opened it to reveal Robin.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything" he started. "I have prepared one of our guest rooms for Miss Roth, so when you're done with your talk, I suggest that you go to sleep and rest… we don't know when Omega will strike back"

The empath nodded and thanked her leader. After that, her mother said goodnight and they exchanged a hug. It felt weird, but not at all unpleasant. When they released each other, Arella went with Robin, who was waiting outside, so he could lead her to her room. Raven then changed into her pajamas and slipped into her bed. She felt really tired after all that had happened, and sleep came to her with ease.

When all heroes were done with their rest, they got ready to go to Steel City, since Fireian's birthday was taking place there. They had been careful enough to call out both Jinx and Kid Flash to watch over Jump City for them and inform them if there was an emergency. Arella decided to stay in the tower until the confrontation with Omega was over, so she stated that she would be shopping online for earthling clothes and other personal supplies. It was then revealed that Azarath had a bank where their money could be exchanged into money from any known dimension, which included Earth, so Miss Roth had a considerable amount of money, part of which would, according to her, be used to repair all damages in the Titans' Tower, including the partially useless medical bay.

The journey was long, and since they were seven people Robin and Starfire had to go on the R-Cycle, but fortunately the motorcycle was resistant. Once in the Titans East's tower, they were welcomed by the team of superheroes.

It wasn't that easy for Raven to be around them. It wasn't that she didn't like them, but it was like having Beast Boy multiplied. She perfectly understood Bumblebee's dismay. She remembered her past infatuation with Aqualad and how fast it died when she saw his behavior and constant mind-blowing arguments with Speedy. The twins Mas and Menos were no better, always running around and ranting in Spanish, which she couldn't understand. And to make matters even worse, there were the two new girls. Scarlett and her hyperactiveness, always moving around and ranting so quickly she couldn't even try to follow her unless she wanted her brain to explode. Icyhandra and her constant internal turmoil, which nothing but highlighted her explosive and extremely anxious personality. It was a good thing that the birthday boy had a bit of common sense; to her eyes, that Titans' Tower looked more like a mental hospital.

Fireian had chosen to take them all to the movies, and then, in the evening, to a concert that the band from Jump City _Féeperverse _was giving at a pub. They had travelled to some cities in the States to gain popularity and that day they had chosen Steele City.

He had chosen a fantasy movie about a vampire hunter. It had been simple, but entertaining, so his friends liked it. After that, they went to the pub where the concert took place. For a moment, they feared that they wouldn't get inside, since Mas and Menos were too young, but luckily there were no problems, maybe due to them being Titans, maybe because the concert was aimed at a broad audience.

Once inside, they had some non-alcoholic drinks and chatted until the concert was started. The band was a bit late, apparently due to the singer, Shade, getting ready too slowly. When they started, Robin suspected that Shade might have been drinking or doing some other kind of drugs, since she was certainly not singing like she usually did.

He was reflecting about the possibility of talking to her after the concert and finding out what happened when he was interrupted by the touch of Starfire's hand on his arm. He sighed; he knew she noticed every time he was thinking about work, and the look on her eyes showed that she wouldn't let that happen; not that night.

"Wanna dance, Star?"

Seeing the love birds having such a good time made Beast Boy want to experience something like that too. He looked at his girlfriend wiggling his eyebrows in quite a suggestive manner, which made the girl back away slightly from him in fear, knowing what he had in store for her.

"Come on, Rae, you know it'll be fun!" he whined, going hastily to her side.

"Don't you remember that I don't do fun?" she deadpanned, trying to hide her apprehension.

"Sorry, baby, but I don't buy that crap anymore" he chuckled while wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey! Gar, what are you doing?"

It was too late for the poor empath. The wicked changeling had dragged her to where Robin and Starfire were dancing and started making her spin. She stumbled, but he quickly picked her up.

"You just have to follow the rhythm!" he said while dancing.

After a few tries, she was moving slightly, giving death glares to her fellow Titans who were chuckling at the sight.

But some of the heroes weren't paying attention at the pair. Icyhandra wandered about, wondering where her friend Scarlett could be. She was worried about the girl; it wasn't like her to keep everything to herself or not telling her at least, and she would like to know what happened to her when that Omega dude attacked her mind, since she didn't seem to have gotten over it.

She moved around the crowd until she saw her.

"_I guess I'd better leave her be" _she thought.

The girl was in a corner, next to Speedy, who was talking to her... and standing _really _close to her. The ice blender knew about her friend's crush on the young man, so she decided to leave them alone and go pester the birthday boy for a while, but not before going to the restroom.

Upon entering the place she heard muffled voices. She rolled her blue eyes.

"_Do people not know of the existence of hotel rooms?" _she silently asked no one.

After she was done, she washed her hands at the white sink. She was drying her hands with some paper when she noticed the voices going louder. The girl narrowed her eyes. It was impossible for the couple to not notice her using the toilet and the sink. Besides, only the girl could be heard. Could it be a...?

"_If this is what it seems, heaven help that bastard!"_

She raced to the toilet where the voice came from.

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

She kicked the door open, revealing...

"WHAT THE HELL...?"

Terra didn't know what to do.

There were guys around, attractive guys, but for some reason she found herself unable to talk to any of them. Her high school time when she had no difficulties in flirting with her hottest classmates seemed so far away now...

Then she felt the reassuring presence of Black Beast. He went next to her and did the thumbs up sign. The girl couldn't help but smiling.

"_Okay Terra, you can't let this get to you, you're stronger than this! You've killed Slade, you've saved the city from a volcano, you survived petrification and high school, and then you saved your family and friends from Slade again! If you can't get a date, then who in the world will?"_

Now more self-confident, the blonde moved to the bar, where a small group of guys were talking and laughing. They saw her approaching and started to whisper between themselves, which made the girl linger a bit, unsure to what they could possibly be saying about her. Then, out of the blue, one of them stood up from his seat and walked right to where she was.

"Hey there! Terra the Teen Titan, right?" he said.

"Uh... yeah, that's me!" she answered. Cool, at least he didn't seem hostile.

"You know" he continued, his smile never leaving his face, "you're my favorite Titan girl. I'd actually feel honored if I could dance with you; it'd be even better than having your autograph!"

"Really?" she beamed. The geomancer wasn't used to be treated like that; many people still mistrusted her, even creepy Raven was more popular than her since she betrayed the team.

The boy silently offered Terra his hand, who took it gladly. He took her to the dance floor and they danced enthusiastically... that is, until the boy, as he had bet his friends he would do, decided to grab the girl's rear without permission, making her jump in shock. She was going to scream really nasty statements at him for his behavior when someone punched him right in the face. Soon, the guy's goons where over the trio.

"Hey, dude, who do you think you... whoa!"

It was a much upset Aqualad.

"You know, I hate pigs like you. If you can't treat a lady right, don't approach her at all. If I ever see you near Terra again, I'll make sure you regret it" he said in quite a menacing voice.

The gang started trembling in fear and quickly retreated, along with their injured friend. Then, the male Titan's expression softened.

"Sorry those jerks caused you trouble. I hope you don't mind that I blew out your date"

Terra chuckled.

"It's okay; as you said, they were jerks. I'm better off without guys like them!"

"Well... do you think you'd be better off with a guy like me?"

"Are you asking me out?" she asked, trying her best to sound confident and flirty.

"Tomorrow at three p.m. at Jump City deck?"

"Deal, but only if you dance with me now!"

The Atlantean chuckled and happily obliged. Terra felt good. She wasn't okay yet, but the boy she was now dancing with was certainly making her feel better, even as unexpected as his proposal might have been. She turned for a moment to the stage and saw something that made her eyes widen in utter shock and disbelief.

"WHAT THE...?"

While everyone else was dancing, Speedy was leaning next to Scarlett. He had finally made one of the two big questions he wanted to ask her that night, but now he was regretting it.

The girl was biting her bottom lip. She seemed in the verge of tears. The boy didn't know what to do.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I was just worried about you"

"I... I didn't tell the others" she suddenly said, silencing the red-haired archer. "but what Omega did to me – it was horrible. I don't think I'll ever forget it..."

"What was it?" he whispered, showing his worry for the girl.

"He... put those images in my mind. He made me see things... Things he had done to other people... Some were killed... Others weren't so lucky... He... changed them, Roy, he changed them into something horrible..."

By then she was staring intently into his eyes, hidden behind some sunglasses in a similar fashion to Robin.

"That man did horrible things... and he made me see everything. I don't know what he wants with Titans West, but I say that we stay away from it unless they really need us, I want nothing to do with that man..."

She was silenced by the shock she felt at being embraced by Speedy. After a moment, she returned the gesture and melted into the hug, letting herself be comforted.

"It's okay, Scarlett" he told her. "He can't hurt you anymore. And if he tries" he broke the hug and stared at her directly in the eye "I won't let him anywhere near you. I promise"

She stared at him, both surprised and impressed by his commitment.

"Thank you"

"Any time" he answered, smiling warmly. He then got serious. Would that be the right moment?

"Is there any problem?" the girl asked.

"Uh... it's just that... ugh... Would you like to... you know... going out with me some day... you know... on a date?"

The red-eyed girl gasped.

"Really? Of course I would!" she exclaimed. Then she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and taking him by surprise. Then she decided to be bold, leaning in and gently kissing him.

Speedy felt his heart melt at what was happening, but quickly gave in. That night couldn't have been more perfect...

Until they parted and saw...

"What the fuck...?!"

Robin and Starfire kept dancing, enjoying the music as much as Shade's suddenly bad singing would let them. When the alien girl thought about it, she found the perfect excuse for what she wanted.

"Boyfriend Robin, could we get out for a bit and get the fresh air?"

The Boy Wonder nodded and took his girlfriend out of the pub. There, she took him far from the people who were out, obviously curious about the famous couple.

"Robin... There is something I would like to talk about" she said, lowering her head. She looked nervous.

"Is there anything wrong?" he asked, caressing her shoulders in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

"No, not really... It is just that... Well, back in my planet this is something considered as completely normal, but I know that for you Earthlings it can be uncomfortable at times... actually, it has always confused me the way you treat this issue" she frowned. It was obvious that, whatever she was talking about, she highly disliked humans' attitude towards it.

"What is it? You can tell me, I won't be uncomfortable, I promise" the Boy Wonder whispered, resuming the strokes he was giving her.

The Tamaranean princess looked at her beloved straightly in the eye.

"I wish to consummate my love with you"

Silence.

A very angry looking alien.

"I knew it!" she spat "I knew you would get uncomfortable by my offer!"

Robin seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Uh... no, Star! It's just that... this was quite unexpected"

The girl gave him a death glare that could have easily rival Raven's.

"Do you believe that I am some kind of naïve little girl who knows nothing about love and life?"

"I'm not saying that! Jeez... it just took me by surprise, since we hadn't done anything even similar to that before... I had no way of knowing what you wanted"

"Then does that mean that you wish not to perform intercourse?"

"Uh... could you not call it that way? This is not a documentary, Star"

The girl huffed angrily.

"I should have never asked!"

"No! Star... Sorry. Of course I would like to do that, but I didn't want to do it until you were ready"

The Tamaranean looked at the Boy Wonder intensely.

"I am now" she whispered.

"Then I am too" he answered, pulling her close to him and kissing her.

After a while, the couple parted their kiss and walked back into the pub, still embracing each other. But the vision that greeted them once inside completely ruined the mood, replacing it with utter shock.

"What the...?"

They immediately ran to where the rest of the Titans were. Bumblebee was staring at the stage. She was livid.

"This girl is SO dead" she simply whispered, her voice full of anger.

Icyhandra had stepped on stage and taken Shade's microphone off her hands. The dumbfounded musicians stopped playing and now everyone was staring at her.

"Listen up, everyone! Do not trust this lady, she's an impostor!" she pointed at Shade, who was looking at her in shock.

By this point Bumblebee was growling. She flew up to the stage... to see something even more shocking than that bizarre scene.

"Here's the REAL Shade! She was tied up and locked in one of the spare rooms, presumably by the impostor!"

Icyhandra was motioning to a corner of the stage, where a girl who looked exactly like Shade was standing up. The real singer was staring at her twin in fear. The punk rocker's replica smiled.

Then all hell broke loose.

Before anyone could do anything, she took three daggers from inside her jacket and threw them at the real Shade... only to be intercepted by Icyhandra, who jumped between the helpless girl and the deadly weapons, which impacted on her neck. The Titans could barely hear Robin's "Titans, GO!" as everyone in the pub screamed and started to flee, the fake Shade melting with them and getting out of view. The heroes' leader hastily took out his communicator.

"Raven, heal Icyhandra. Starfire and Bumblebee, block the main exit. Cyborg and Mas y Menos, block the back exit. Beast Boy and Black Beast, track down the fake Shade. The rest of you, regroup with me on stage... and get ready for trouble"

As soon as he stepped up on the stage he saw that Raven was already healing the wounded ice blender. The Boy Wonder could see the crowd getting anxious despite the Titans' efforts to calm them down and reassure them that they would find the criminal before anyone else could get hurt. It was then when Terra, Speedy, Aqualad, Scarlett and Fireian got on stage. The latter was holding his sister, who was sobbing lightly.

"How is she?" he asked, visibly worried for his teammate.

"She'll live" Raven stated "but it'll take me a while to heal her completely; she's been badly wounded"

Robin scratched his chin, lost in thoughts. Everything had happened so quickly that he had barely had time to react. He heard yelling at the blocked exits.

"I think I should go to the main exit and calm things down there. Fireian, go to the back exit and do the same. We can't let things get nasty. Speedy, stay with Scarlett, she's not fit for combat right now. Aqualad and Terra, stay here and protect Shade from any attack that may come"

The group nodded and they got separated. Robin got to the main exit in a rush, hoping he could get the crowd to calm down and fearing what would happen if he failed.

"Listen to me, everyone" he said, raising his voice over the rest of the people. "There's an enemy between us, an enemy that the Titans will take down swiftly before she hurts anyone else. But before that, you need to calm down. We can't let someone who could hurt innocent people get away"

It was to no avail. There were hysterical cries. Some people had tried to get to the exit, so Starfire had to block it after sharing a worried look with her boyfriend.

"Please" she begged, "we are your friends and protectors. We wish not to hurt you. But you need to be collaborative"

Bumblebee gasped when she saw a fire wall forming in front of the emergency exit. It was being controlled by Fireian and so it had not yet burnt anything down.

"I'm sorry to be so extreme" he stated in a voice devoided of all emotion, "but a good friend of mine has been hurt tonight, and I'm not letting the person who's responsible for that go unpunished"

"Yo, man! Have you gone nuts? You're going to burn everything down!" Cyborg protested.

"CIUDADO CHICOS!"

Cyborg turned just in time to intercept a dagger that had been aimed at him. The other three had been taken out by Aqualad and Terra, who were floating in one of the girl's boulders, which she had had to invoke very delicately so as not to damage the building's structure below them, where the earth she could move was. In front Cyborg, a tall, red-haired woman was standing, restrained by both Beast Boy and Black Beast, who had tracked her and were going to pounce on her when she made that desperate attack towards the four Titans at the emergency exit.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" she roared, trying to get rid of the shape-shifters.

The rest of the Titans, except for Raven and Icyhandra went to where the girl was. Robin, Bumblebee and Starfire were the last to arrive, since they had been busy opening the front exit and making sure all the people inside the pub got out without stomping over each other.

"It seems we have a shape-shifter here. Who are you and what was that for?"

"My name is Rose Horn, also known as Rho" she revealed, making the present Titans West gasp.

"So you belong to Omega Labs? How did you know we were here?" Robin growled.

"I didn't... but she did"

The red-head signaled Scarlett, who was still being held by Speedy. The girl moaned.

"It was him! He read it in my mind!" she soon started sobbing again. Speedy held her tighter, glaring at Rho.

"Exactly. He read your plans and the place's location, and designed the plan I carried out. I kidnapped Shade just before you arrived, without her band noticing, so I could gain advantage on you. But that damned girl had to intercept my plans..."

"Is that why you tried to kill her?" Fireian screamed, startling everyone.

The woman called Rho sighed deeply in what seemed to be defeat.

"I couldn't allow myself to fail at taking you down. It didn't even matter if the Titans East died, but I couldn't be defeated, or even worse, captured. That would mean that I failed the trial Master Omega put me through"

Scarlett suddenly fell silent. She started to tremble.

"No! We have to do something for her! We can't let him get to her; he's going to kill her!"

"We'll hand her to the Police, they'll keep her safe" Robin answered.

"No! You don't understand!" the technocrat anxiously replied.

Their captive shook her head, saddened.

"That girl's right. There's nothing you can do for me... except giving me a painless death. I... would actually appreciate it" she could but whisper.

"No way!" Robin exclaimed. "That's not the Titans' way, we don't kill! We'll find a way to protect you from Omega... I know! Maybe we could talk to Miss Roth, she is..."

But the Boy Wonder's speech got interrupted by a blood-curling scream from Rho. The girl started to levitate on air, her face revealing the excruciating pain she was feeling as her skin was being ripped off her. Her flesh soon followed, and in the end her whole body vanished into thin air.

Then, the Titans were caught aback by a resonating voice in their heads.

"Did you honestly think you could do anything for that failure? I had a telepathic connection with her all the time; she was dead in the moment the two Experiments captured her. That serves me for having been so careless in the past... I hope my future warriors turn out to be more competent. Titans East; it has been my pleasure. Titans West... We'll see each other soon"

Then the voice vanished completely. Scarlett soon started to wail. Speedy didn't know what to do to calm her down anymore.

"Jessie? What's wrong?"

Upon hearing that voice, the girl suddenly stopped crying.

It was Icyhandra.

She was being carried by Raven, since she still felt weak and dizzy from the blood loss (which the Azarathean thankfully stopped on time) and would not be completely recovered until she received a transfusion. But the only thing that mattered was that she was alive.

"Andy! Oh, God, I thought I was going to lose you!"

Scarlett ran to her best friend and they embraced warmly. Then, the ice blender turned to look at Raven.

"Thank you. I owe you my life, and I won't rest until I repay you somehow" she told her, smiling.

"It's not necessary, I did what I had to" the empath humbly replied.

Fireian approached her. Despite the relief that was evident on his face, he still had a somber expression.

"Thanks for saving her" he said, "but there's something you two should know"

Robin proceeded to explain. The two girls stared at their leader in horror. Guilt stung on him.

"I wanted to save her... maybe if I had been faster..."

"Man, what could you possibly do? Out of all of us, only Raven can teleport, and she's not as fast as her mom, it'd have taken her too long to carry Rho to Miss Roth, the result would've been the same!"

Despite the so called Tin Man's encouraging words, the entire team, including himself, felt defeated. It was the first time they had seen someone they had tried to protect die. No, it wasn't an innocent person, but she had still needed their help and they could do nothing to help. No, it wasn't actually the first time; since the original members of the Titans West had already seen Raven perish when she became the Portal... but then again, that was different; deep down they knew she was still alive somewhere, and that gave them strength to go on fighting. This time it was different, it was definite; the person they had to protect had been lost forever. Some lives had been taken by their enemies before, but not that way, no just before their very eyes, while they stood helpless, watching everything. And what a sight... More than one of them would not be able to sleep that night.

They left the pub and exchanged their goodbyes. Aqualad asked Terra if she still wanted to have that date, and that he would understand if she thought it wasn't the right moment. But the girl knew that what had happened was just another nasty thing lingering in her head, and she needed to get such thoughts out no matter how, so she accepted his offer.

When the Titans West were about to leave, the real Shade approached the two teams.

"Hey! Just before you go, I'd like to thank you for saving me. You're really brave" she shook hands with all of them and left.

Black Beast felt something when the singer touched his hand. She had slipped something small into it. He opened his hand and saw a small piece of paper. He unfolded it and saw, surprised, that it contained her telephone number with a message that read "Out of all of them, you're the bravest and the cutest. Please call me". It had been stamped with the same red lipstick that she was wearing.

"Oh, well" he whispered "at least, something good has happened in this terrible day"

The Titans West finally left. It was the Titans East's turn to retreat and get back to their tower. But there were two Titans that stayed behind.

"Listen" Icyhandra began, "I'm sorry that your birthday party turned out like that"

Firean sighed.

"You don't have to be sorry; it wasn't your fault"

"How's that? I blew up everything when I uncovered Rho!"

"Oh, so what do you think you should have done?" he replied, upset. "Letting her get out with what she wanted? Do I have to remind you that she was there to eliminate us!? Do I have to remind you what she almost did to you?" he said, softer this time.

Icyhandra touched her neck. It still stung.

"Yeah... I was lucky Raven was there so fast. I should buy her something, or maybe she'd prefer a hand-made gift..."

Despite all that happened, Fireian couldn't help but smiling. He messed with his friend's hair.

"You'll decide later. Now we all need to recover from what happened. Promise me something, though"

"Yes?"

"Promise you'll be more careful in the future. It's no use that you protect other people if it costs you your life. If you die, you won't be able to protect anyone anymore... and you don't know how much it would hurt everyone..."

The girl pierced the fire bender's red eyes with her blue ones.

"I don't want to die... there's too much I want to do... Yes, I will be more careful, I promise!"

They both smiled softly. Then, they went with the rest of their team and got ready to go back home.

Back in Jump City, the Titans West headed to their rooms, not saying a word. Robin had briefly explained Arella the situation, and she decided to put a spell on them so they could sleep soundly and rest. Soon, Robin and Starfire were the ones who were left on the common room.

"You do not have to blame yourself, my beloved. As friend Cyborg explained, there is nothing you could have done to avoid it..."

"I still should have tried something... anything... instead of just watching!" he punched the wall, greeting the pain that killed the numbness he was feeling.

"No! I will not tolerate this!" the princess claimed. She knelt down beside her boyfriend and ran a soothing hand down his back. "Robin, you must rest and overcome this tragedy. We have yet to fight Omega, but we cannot do so without your guidance. We all need you, my love – I need you" she whispered, caressing his face.

The hero fell on his knees and did something Starfire had never seen him do before: he cried.

"I'm such an idiot..." he mumbled. His crying was bitter. He looked so helpless and defeated... Starfire couldn't stand seeing him like that. She took his arms gently and pulled him up into a hug he wasn't able to reciprocate. After a long moment, the Tamaranean parted their hug. She took off his sunglasses and stared lovingly into his deep blue eyes. She couldn't help but remembering all those romantic movies that she digged so much. She realized there was something about them that she didn't like: it was always the boy who protected the girl and cheered her up when she was down. Why did it have to be that way? On Tamaran, women were actually stronger than men, physically at least. She was WAY stronger than her boyfriend. Why should she stay still and do nothing, when she could be the one protecting him?

"Come with me, my love" she whispered "I will help you through this, I will pick you up whenever you fall, and I will protect you forever. I will devote my life to make you happy and keep you from any disgrace. This is a promise I make by my honor as Tamaran's Queen"

She then kissed him passionately and led him to her room, but stayed at the door.

"I know that this will not fix you, but at least it will help you forget this tragedy for the night... Stay with me tonight"

Her boyfriend nodded. He looked less hesitant, less broken than before.

"Yes, love"

**To be continued.**

**Sorry if this was too cheesy. It was intended to be sad. I hope it wasn't inappropriate or OoC for that matter. I'm especially concerned about Robin and Starfire. I hope this new step in their relationship seems natural and not forced. Of course, I'll be glad to receive your reviews and comments, anything as long as it's constructive!**

**Also, I have a small petition. As I know most of you are not reading _Dies Irae, _I have to ask you a small favor that I already asked on an author's note on that story. If any of you is a talented drawer, would it be too much to ask that you designed the cover of _Dies Irae _for me? It would be something really simple, just a portrait of the main character, Anya, since I cannot repay you with money and I understand that graphic artists can't live from just air. I could repay you with a new story, though. It would get started when one of my current stories is finished, and it would be entirely dedicated to this artist. I would even allow some plot suggestions from them (I'm not changing the pairings I ship, though, sorry about that, but I can't do something like that by imposition). So, if anyone's interest, please contact me by PM or on review (I prefer the PM though). Anyway, thanks a lot!**

**Well, this has come to the end. Don't forget to review, and if you have some time, read my other stories which I really hope you like.**

**Peace!**

**Avandra.**


	21. Author's note 2

**Author's note!**

**I'm just writing to say that I already have an artist designing ****_Dies Irae's _****cover for me! Her name is ominous, and I'm sure she'll do fine! Thanks a lot for your help, really!**

**Avandra.**


	22. Author's note 3

**Okay, just to warn all of those who are following this story:**

**I'm writing this so you know that I'm restarting Crossroads. It had important flaws that I didn't see coming. I have already started the restart so I may erase the original story, if I can bring myself to do it, that is. The new Crossroads will have substancial differences but it'll still keep its old essence, plus I'm putting this story and its future sequel together into one, so all the OCs you sent me will be featured in Crossroads, just give it some time because I can't put all them at once just like that. Anyway, I hope you like the new and better version of this story. It's sad that the plot holes I found in it made it impossible to continue with. This way, I will make sure I fix that and I keep my promise to always finish a story, no matter how long it takes me.**

**See you soon. I'll be uptading In The Blue Dark, which I hope you like too.**

**Avandra.**


End file.
